It's What Makes Us Human
by Soapy Water xx
Summary: "So your life's messed up!" Leah screamed at me. "God knows, your girlfriend ditched you for a mutt, poor you! God knows she accepted your proposal and then dumped you - wouldn't it be much worse if it was the other way around? You're so selfish, Edward!" Sequel now up!
1. Summary

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. All rights and regards go to Miss Stephanie Meyer. I own nothing - I'm just playing with her characters. No copyright infringement intended. **

**Title: Life Sucks… And Then You Die **

**Rating: T **

**Summary: "So your life's fucked up!" Leah screamed at me. "God knows, your girlfriend ditched you for a mutt, poor you! God knows she accepted your proposal and then dumped you - wouldn't it be much worse if it was the other way around? You're so selfish, Edward Cullen!" **

**Dedicated to everyone who voted, and everyone who decided to read my patchy little stories. You're all great, guys (gals, whatever) **


	2. Musings

**A.N: Thanks to everyone that voted! I'm a very impatient person, so it didn't last very long! Special thanks to all who reviewed the new story, and all who favourited it! **

Chapter 1 - Musings

_How's Edward doing? _

I had to refrain from snapping my head up to glare at Alice. I was constantly reminding myself, scolding myself for snapping at my family. It wasn't their fault that my other half had chosen another over me. It wasn't their fault that they were concerned about my wellbeing.

I hated the pity they were giving me. It was unwanted - I didn't want my adoptive family to pity me. I just wanted her back. That was all - I wanted my dead heart to stop screaming from my chest, wanted the strange stabbing pains in my chest to cease. I wanted to feel like I did when I met her for the first time. I wanted to feel alive - or even numb. I just didn't want to feel this pain, the excruciating pain that radiated throughout my stone, icy chest.

_It's okay to feel pain, Edward, _Jasper thought, before he could stop himself. A growl slipped from my throat, I crouched automatically and bared my teeth at my adoptive brother.

He held up his hands in defence, and I let out another snarl, before stalking out of the room, running up the stairs at Vampire speed, the paintings on the walls left to rock back and forth behind me.

I went straight to my room, turning on the stereo. But it was just another memory as Debussy's Claire De Lune played through the room, reverberating from the walls. I could feel another dagger being stabbed through my dead heart and being twisted slowly.

Their thoughts were still assaulting my mind, making it impossible for me to forget my pain. It just worsened.

_Poor Edward. I thought she was the one._

_Maybe I should calm him… but no, he wouldn't want that. Would he…? _

_Selfish little bitch, prancing along, acting so heartbroken and then breaking Edward's heart when he returns to her. He deserves better - much better. _

I couldn't stop the thoughts - they were as loud as their voices. I wished I had Bella - her silent thoughts were a source of irritation and pleasure to me. But Bella was gone now, and she was never coming back.

"_I love you Edward," she whispered, her eyes filled with tears. I wanted to comfort her - but I knew the comfort that she craved was not mine. "I love you so much, but you left, and… I think I love him more. He was there when you weren't. You left me, and you broke me. He's solid. He is always here for me." _

The memory flashed through my head another time before I cracked. Everything in my room was shaking with tremors. I didn't realise for a second that it was actually me shaking with dry sobs - not the furniture.

She wasn't gone. She just didn't want me. I supposed that was better than her being dead. But she wasn't with me - and she never would be. She would never want my company again.

Rosalie's mind was suddenly very loud. She was picturing Bella's corpse when she died, withered with age with wrinkles around her mouth, cheeks, on her forehead. Her hair was grey and a smile was on her face, even in death. Freesias and lavenders were around her, and in the coffin beside her, there was Jacob Black.

I couldn't take it. I felt something inside me snap and I before I could really process what I was doing, I was landing on the ground outside my bedroom window. I shot a look towards the kitchen window and saw Carlisle's nod of approval. Then, I raced into the forest, hoping to drown the thoughts that surrounded me.

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**A.N: Shorter than I planned. Next chapter, Emmett and Jasper try and liven Edward up on a boy's night out. What does Angry Edward + Nightclub equal? And I apologise to the people that I promised a preview to. Everybody who reviewed wanted to read this, so I decided to just put it online now. **


	3. Clubbing

**A.N: I WANTED to post this before bed but my laptop's so slow that I can't. I'm sorry guys, I tried so hard and hit my laptop numerous times, but it's so damned slow it won't do anything. AND IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE NEW! **

Chapter 2 - Clubbing

"No."

"Please, Eddie?"

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"Please!"

"EMMETT FOR CHRIST'S SAKE! I SAID NO!"

I had arrived back at the house two hours after I escaped. Emmett and Jasper had been about to come looking for me, afraid that I'd rushed off to the Volturi to commit suicide. I wouldn't do that to my family though. Unfortunately, I had promised Bella I would never - though she had broken her promises to me.

Now, I was sat in the sitting room, my eyes glued to the TV screen, watching Jasper blow up numerous people on Call Of Duty Modern Warfare 2. My eyes were glazed over as I stared, unseeing, at the screen.

That was when Emmett had decided to pounce.

My idiotic buffoon of a brother was firmly convinced that I only needed a little 'livening up' and that the ideal way to get me back up and running again was to take me out into Seattle to go clubbing.

I knew for a fact that this was an extremely bad idea. But Emmett's mind was irrevocable, and I knew that this was a fight I wasn't going to win. Apparently, so did Alice, as she came dancing down the staircase with her hair looking surprisingly lustrous. She smiled at me.

_Glad to see you're doing okay._

As soon as she said that, I seemed to break on the inside. The small, fake sense of security that was protecting my heart shattered, and a wave of pain rippled through me, the fire scorching my freezing skin. I had to bite back a scream of agony at the torture.

Jasper, who was sat on the couch, doubled over at the force of my pain. He let out a small cry of pain, clapping his hands to his temples, and then, he darted out of the house before he could get a full dosage of what I felt.

_I'm so sorry, _Alice's thought wavered in the air as she disappeared after her husband. Emmett, who was still stood before me, looked dumbfounded, one hand scratching his head in confusion.

"Come on Eddie," he said after a brief pause. "Please come clubbing? You need to get our again. I promise it'll help, and if it doesn't, you have my permission to tear off one of my arms. But I want it back."

I sighed. What point was there in fighting Emmett? I should have realised that I was going to loose - Emmett's motto said it all.

"Fine," I muttered, angry at myself for giving in so easily. There were a thousand different reasons why I shouldn't go clubbing. Vampires couldn't get drunk, or 'hammered' as it's called nowadays. I would be surrounded by Emmett, who would be buzzed, Jasper, who would also be buzzed, and a bunch of 'hammered' humans, who would throw themselves at me.

"'Emmett always wins,'" Emmett quoted his motto immediately. I rolled my eyes, threw one of my legs roughly into his backside, sending him catapulting across the room and straight out of the door. A low sigh of satisfaction came from my lips.

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…

"What's your poison?"

I was sat on one of the stools in front of the bar counter. Lively music came from behind, and pulsating green and blue lights lit up my skin, sending reflections across the room that would only be visible to vampire eyes. Across the dance floor, Jasper and Emmett were doing some kind of robot dance.

The thoughts of the drunken people around me were making me a little insane. I wasn't feeling pain quite right - it was as if I was drunk myself, which definitely was not a good thing.

"Surprise me," I replied, a little bitter. I watched the buffoon that I was ashamed to call family wave at me with enthusiasm and return to his slightly sexual dancing techniques. I turned away from Emmett with an odd half smile playing around the edges of my lips.

I hadn't smiled since Bella left.

I looked down, picking at a loose thread on my jacket. Alice had fixed up an outfit of skinny jeans and a fight fitting white graphic T-shirt. I blamed her entirely for all the attention I was getting from females. Every woman who came up to me reminded me of Bella in some way.

The bartended slammed the drink down in front of me, the contents spilling over the edge a little. I thanked him, handing him ten dollars and turning around again to watch the idiots on the dance floor.

I heard someone slip into the seat beside me. I looked up, and suddenly, the onslaught of thoughts came crashing down on me.

_Shit. I'm sat next to a fucking leech. What the fuck is Sam going to say? Aw crap, this better not be the mind reader. Shit, I'm screwed. Shit, shit, shit… if that thing is reading my mind I'm gonna pull off it's balls and make him eat them. Hear that buddy? _

Her thoughts confused me. She knew about vampires. She knew I could read minds, and she wasn't making eye contact with me, at all. I couldn't see her face as a curtain of ebony hair fell between us.

Her scent was sweet, yet bitter. It took an edge off my mood, cleared my head. I could smell the musty scent of the werewolves mixed in with a floral scent. Her smell was nice, oddly. It was strangely comforting.

But she was a werewolf.

I assumed that there were no female werewolves. The Quileute legends always said that the male descendants transformed - never the females. I watched as the girl pulled out her cell phone - a Blackberry Torch - and began to text at an alarming speed.

_Fuck Jacob you better get this text and reply otherwise I'm gonna kick your sorry ass when I get back to La Push, _she thought. Her mental voice was surprisingly sharp, harsh, somehow.

"What's your poison?" the bartender asked the wolf.

"Leeches," she whispered, and then at a normal volume. "A pint. Whatever's on the special menu today."

The bartender disappeared.

"Leeches are your poison then?" I asked, slightly amused. Her head whipped around at lightening speed, and my eyes met hers.

Her eyes were deep chocolate, darker than Bella's, more mysterious. There was a blackness about her, a darkness that was somehow threatening. Her hair was ebony, shoulder length and smooth, but roughly cut, as if somebody inexperienced had done it for her.

She stood up, pocketing her phone, and shot me a look that could kill.

"Yeah. Leeches are my poison."

And then she walked out.

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**REVIEW! Special thanks to everyone who reviewed. I woke up this morning with 13 notifications from FF! I was like 'WOOT THEY LIKE IT!' So yeah. I hope this chapter lived up to your expectations. Review - I've already written the last two chapters, but nothing else! Maybe I'll send you a preview… if I'm feeling nice. **


	4. Pubs, Bars and Superman

Chapter 3 - Pubs, Bars, and Superman

Emmett and Jasper persuaded me to go and dance with them. Of course, I danced with a couple of females, but none of them held the same attraction that Bella did - their thoughts were too loud, too focused on sex and hormones.

Of course, I made my way back to the bar after two dances. I ordered another drink that would be thrown up as soon as we arrived home. The bartender kept giving me strange looks - his thoughts were unkind.

"EDDIE!" Emmett yelled. "COME AND DO THE CONGA! HA-HA!"

I wasn't overly surprised at his behaviour. Jasper, however, was a different matter. He was normally cool and calm. He normally kept his distance from humans, but he was with Emmett, leading the conga line.

_There's a sexy one coming now. Ohh, looking hot in that skimpy little dress, you skank._

I didn't like the edge to that thought. It didn't come from in the room - it came from outside, where this man was lurking out of sight, waiting for another woman to come along. His eyes were entirely focused on his new target - who happened to be the werewolf from earlier.

He was going to assault her. He was going to sexually assault her. In plain English - he was going to rape her.

I flew out of the pub as fast as I can, my mind still listening to that vile, sick excuse for a man muse how to get her without anyone hearing her screams. A snarl ripped through my throat. Jasper and Emmett looked across at me in concern, just catching me whip out of the room.

She was there, pinned against the wall by her throat. The man had his… dirty hands on her, trying to -

"Get off of her," my voice was low, flat. The werewolf's thoughts were a jumbled, terrified mess.

I swung the man back by the scruff of his neck, pinning him to the wall at the other side of the alleyway. He looked terrified now - good. Humane thoughts fled my mind as I prepared to kill the creature before me.

"Edward, no," Emmett pulled me away from him. I snarled back at him, fighting, trying to reach him, trying to slit his throat, drain his blood away. But I didn't want any part of that inside me. Not even his blood.

"Yes," I snarled. "He was going to - he was…"

"I know, Edward," Emmett was serious now, holding me in a headlock. _I know what he was going to do. But she looks frightened. And she's a ruddy werewolf - go to her already. _

I rolled my eyes, walked up to the werewolf, who looked at me for about ten seconds, not saying a word.

Then -

_SLAP! _

I staggered backwards, clutching my cheek as she glared at me with fire sparkling in her dark hazel eyes. She let out a snarl of rage and started towards me, hand in the air as if she was going to hit me again.

_FUCK YOU! _She screamed with her thoughts.

_SLAP! _

"Calm down! I just saved your innocence, and you're hitting me! You should be saying thank you!"

"Don't you _dare _tell me what I should be saying," she hissed. Gosh, she was absolutely terrifying. "Don't you fucking dare, bloodsucker. Why did you have to come along and mess it up! I was handling it just fine!"

"Oh, yes, that's exactly why you were cowering in fear with your thoughts in a jumbled mess of terror! I'm sure you were absolutely fine!"

"I was, LEECH! I was just fucking fine - I had a strategy."

"Of course! A strategy! And was this wonderful strategy involving a bunch of male vampires coming to save you!" I snarled at her. Emmett's hands pulled me back, away from her.

"I told you not to read my thoughts!"

"I'm sorry! I can't help it!"

She flipped me the bird, shot us one last glare, and then stalked off into the night once more.

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Back at the house, I was recounting my evening. Emmett was absolutely right - clubbing had taken my mind off of Bella. I couldn't stop thinking about that werewolf. She hadn't let her name slip, even in her thoughts. I was still furious - I wanted to go and argue with her some more.

_The future's changed, _Alice thought to herself. My head snapped up, immediately wanting answers. Alice's mind quickly went silent as Jasper reappeared in their room. I hastily stopped intruding.

I knew what I wanted to do now. I wanted to go and see the wolf, go and argue with her, go and demand a 'thanks' from her. With one fleeting glance around my room, I jumped from the window, running east, hoping to catch her bitter sweet scent.

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**Dedicated to all my lovely reviewers and people who favourited. Also, I saw somebody who did this on the end of all their chapters, so - what's the most embarrassing thing you've ever done? **

**Tell me in reviews! BYE! **


	5. In Her Room

A/N: I have no excuse. It hasn't been very long, granted, but this definitely isn't my usual daily update. To be frank, I'm uninspired. I've been reading other Ffs for the past couple of days, and there are people who get 100 reviews for a single chapter! I don't get that without having to beg - and even when I beg, I only get about 7.

I apologize to my usual reviewers. I can't give you a date for the next chapter, because it depends on reviews… : (

Chapter 4 - In Her Room

Her house was just over the treaty line.

It was wrong of me to intrude - especially on a werewolf's house, as I could be endangering my entire family for one unimportant little girl. It wasn't the first time I had done it, either.

I jumped into her tiny room via her window. It wasn't the large, over the top window that Bella used to have. My heart gave a small cry of pain - metaphorically, of course - as I realised that this was almost exactly the same situation as I was in with Bella so many moons ago.

She was in her room - awake. Even with acute werewolf senses, I was silent. She froze when I entered though, and I could hear her sniffing the air deliberately. My scent was very prominent to werewolves, apparently. Her thoughts were wild screams at me. She was either particularly loud, or she had a better connection with me than most.

Bloodsucker.

She thought the word in greeting, then whirled around, her eyes narrowing as she did so. My eyes quickly examined her face, and instantly, I was struck by her simple beauty. Her eyes were such a dark, mysterious chocolate. They glowed in the dim light of her tiny room. Her hair, cut in such a sharp, angular bob, reflected the dim light coming from the dingy yellow bulb in her lamp.

"I came to see if you were ready to thank me?" it was only after I had spoken that I realised my words were quite rude - and I opened my mouth again to apologize. I was so stuck - she wasn't screaming at me for saving her innocence, and so I was uncomfortable.

Why was she being so calm?

However, her thoughts suddenly came onto me again in an onslaught of anger, surprise, and irritation. They were a jumbled mess, there were no words, just pictures of her huge grey wolf ripping my head from my neck and tossing it back out into the darkness.

I chuckled.

"Stop reading my mind," she spat. "Technically, this is breaking and entering. Or don't bloodsuckers pay any attention to human rules?"

Her words were meant to be a dig, but they just made me laugh. A scowl darkened her face, and my laugh was abruptly cut off as she suddenly flew across the room at shocking speed, hand grabbing at my stone cold neck as she pushed me against the wall - there was a low thud, but nothing that would attract attention of humans.

"Fuck. Off."

She spun around again, and suddenly her fist flew at me out of nowhere - slapping me in the face again. I felt my head click out of place for a second - I had to readjust it with my hands. Another reminder that I could never be what I wanted - could never be a human.

"I saved your innocence!" I argued. "You should be thanking me, waiting on my doorstep to thank me! I shouldn't have to come here to demand a simple act of gratitude!"

"My innocence should be of no concern to you," she hissed, her voice so cold that I almost turned tail and fled. But something held me there - arguing with her was somehow enjoyable, distracting, almost.

Images flew through her head, lightening speed. The image of a native Quileute man sitting in a bed, waiting for her, flew through her head, and I had to refrain from gagging. She shot me a look - plainly saying, 'get out.'

"I am not leaving until I get a thank you," I demanded.

"Fine - thank you," she spat the words with so much venom in her voice. "Thank you for saving my innocence, thank you for coming when you heard the werewolf who could easily take care of herself in danger, and thank you for coming here and harassing me at one o'clock in the morning!"

I stopped. What had happened to me, to the gentleman that Bella Swan used to know? He would have saved the woman and run off again into the night, always keeping an eye on danger. He would never have been so rude, so headstrong, and so violent in demanding a 'thank you.' What had happened to me since she left?

With a shaking resolve, I took one last look the little werewolf. Her expression visibly softened when she saw the pent up emotion in my eyes. But before she could ask what was wrong, say something to take back her words, I jumped back through her window, and disappeared into the night.

One thought lingered behind me.

I'm sorry.

* * *

><p>A.N: I know, some of you probably expected the 'I HATE YOU!' 'I HATE YOU MORE' and then they kiss, thing, but I really didn't want to do that. It seemed to cliché, and I know that Edward has been a little OOC so far. Though if Bella left him, he would go a little crazy, wouldn't he?<p>

ALSO:

1: This update's question! The answers that I got for the last one made me laugh so hard, it was absolutely hilarious. Thanks to you guys who decided to answer that one.

This week, it's a little boring. Just let me know if there are any good Fanfics for me to read? I don't have any at the moment, so I'll get round to them. You can recommend your own, yes. I'll check them out, and review.

2: Reviews! My Goal is 15 reviews for this chapter. I have 363 visitors, so the amount of reviews is completely and utterly ridiculous in comparison. If all of those visitors are readers, you have no excuse! Anonymous reviews are more than welcomed!

THANKS SO MUCH IF YOU READ ALL THAT!

Soap xx 


	6. Running

**102 visitors for the last chapter, and 9 reviews. Not even ten percent of you reviewed. If this goes on, I'm gonna stop updating and just send the chapters to the reviewers. I know it's annoying to some people, but seriously, alyssa21 puts 'love' in her reviews, and it still makes me smile.**

**Chapter 6 - Running **

I ran the long circle around Forks, my mind in a haze. It was easy to tune out the mental musings of the people around me, too easy. My thoughts were entirely focused on Isabella Swan, my heart was cracking and breaking inside my chest.

I had changed so much since I last saw her. Where was the kind gentleman that held open cars doors, hugged her to my chest with a gentle, caring expression? What had happened to Edward Anthony Masen, the polite young man who wanted to join the army and fight for his country?

What had happened to me?

I continued to run, my speed quite slow for a vampire. My resolve hardened as I ran - the cool air whipping my face seemed to clear my head. I knew what I would do - be the gentleman, go and apologise to the wolf, and find out her name. I didn't like to refer to her as 'the wolf' in my head.

I went out and bought some roses. The shop assistant appraised me warily - a male, his thoughts were kind, but a little too flattering. He smiled at me politely as I left, and I returned the gesture.

Then, I was sprinting at top speed, back to the wolf's house. I jumped in through the window, and I was _very _surprised to see her still sat up, her eyes amused as she watched me climb back through her window.

_You know, it's normally perverted old men who climb in through young women's windows. Wait, how old are you again? _There was a joking edge to her mental thought, letting me know she wasn't serious.

"One hundred and ten," I told her, holding out the flowers. Her eyes widened slightly as she saw the bouquet and then a snigger escaped her control, her thoughts telling me everything.

_He went out… and bought a werewolf… his species' enemy… flowers? Are you joking me? _

I grinned and held up the flowers. She rolled her eyes, moving forwards and taking the flowers from me. In that second, I thought she was going to thank me, perhaps be a little more soft towards me, but instead, she took the flowers to the window sill, and dropped them out.

"Edward, you just got dumped without getting some. I know you want another girl, but coming here and trying to charm the menopausal wolf is just ridiculous," she told me seriously.

How did she know about Bella?

She smirked, guessing my thoughts.

_I do have a life - I hear gossip, Ed. Besides, she's moved in with him, the bitch. Screws you around for a bit, you dump her, she screws him around for a bit, you come back, she screws you around again, and then she changes her mind again and goes back to him. Tell you what, if she ever tries to come back to you, you want to drop her and tell her to get on her bike. There are other leeches in the sea._

"How do you know my name when I don't know yours?" I demanded, that was the only plausible thing I could think to say. She smirked broadly, her lips turning up at the corners.

"I'm Leah Clearwater, and my brother is your idol."

"Oh. Right."

I was a little stunned. The silence was awkward, and when Leah spoke, the atmosphere only got worse.

"I had my heart broken too, you know," she told me. I raised my eyebrows. Mortal species made mistakes with love - she was probably just a little upset, a little crushed on the inside. Maybe he'd cheated on her. It would be something suitably human.

"Oh?" I enquired, not believing her.

"Ever heard of imprinting?"

"A bit," I admitted.

"He imprinted on my cousin, and left me for her. He'd proposed, on the beach. We were going to get married, and he met her, and everything went poof. He loved her, I was just the bitch that he left behind. When I phased for the first time, I really was the bitch."

"Not as bad as what I had to go through," I grunted, turning away. I felt a sudden tugging in my head, looked back at Leah, and saw that her eyes were glazed over with tears. Her thoughts weren't sad though - they were furious.

"So your life's fucked up!" she screamed at me. "Your girlfriend ditched you for a mutt, poor you! God knows she accepted your proposal and then ditched you for him - wouldn't it be so much worse if it was the other way around! You're so selfish, Edward Cullen!"

I stared at her, unblinking. I had never, ever been shouted at like that before. Not even when I was human. Only one question was in my head though - one question that was extremely vital.

"How the fuck do you know so much about my private life?"

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"You're telling me… that Jacob knows all of this… and you got it all… from him?" I checked for the fifth time. Leah nodded, cradling a cup of tea in her hands. She sipped from it delicately, before placing the white cup back on the coaster on her bedside table.

"The Pack mind is interconnected. We can hear everything that is thought, even if it's just a throwaway comment, it becomes a lot more if it's heard mentally. Nobody has any idea how difficult it is, not even you. You don't have to face having loads of other people being able to hear your mind," Leah said seriously.

There was a brief pause. I took the chance to glance around her room. It was painted white, with a darker bedspread covered in cushions. There was an oak wardrobe, a bureau and a small stereo system in her room, but that was all. The double bed only just fit Leah on it - she was so tall.

"I'm sorry," I said, after a pause. My thoughts were back on our shouting match - I was out of order without Bella. I was broken, yes, but so was she. Her thoughts said more than her words ever could.

"I should think so," she muttered. I couldn't get over how different she was from Bella - they looked so similar but they were so different. Bella would have forgiven me in an instant - all I had to do was dazzle her.

Leah looked up. "You're gonna have to try harder than that if you want my forgiveness. I'm not 'ha-ha, you're so beautiful Edward, so you're forgiven' Bella Swan."

I chuckled - the sound was strained.

"I could make it up to you," I told Leah. "We're both heartbroken, Leah. We've both lost somebody that we love. We don't have to be best friends, but I want to get along with you. Does that sound like a reasonable apology?"

She barked a laugh. "Becoming friends with Edward Cullen. I think that's the best one I've heard yet," she arched her eyebrows at me.

"Is that a yes?"

"Yes, that's a yes."

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**A.N: I apologise for my very UnEdwardlike writing today. I'm about to go to bed, and I'm hoping for some notifications from my friends in the USA and other places when I wake up in about 11 hours. Maybe a couple of reviews? **

**Please? **

**(PS: First 3 reviewers get a short preview of the next chapter! Limited stocks available) **

**(PSS: Those riots in London, Manchester, and all those other places are shocking! My buds in England are sure to agree, right?) **

**PSSS: QUESTION! **

**What was the funniest thing that ever happened to you with a friend? I loled at the answers to my first question, and I'm going to check out that fanfic someone recommended (thanks again for that) **

**BYE! **


	7. Mobiles and McDonalds

**A.N: Hey guys - just a couple of things. **

**First - I apologise to everyone who thought Edward had broken the treaty in going to see Leah. He didn't - I meant that Leah's house was on the Cullen's side of the treaty, but only just. So sorry to confuse any of you - if he'd broken the treaty, Leah would definitely have killed him.**

**Second - I love you all so much! Literally, I'm sending Edward filled cookies to all you reviewers now. I was like *YAY! I GOT TEN REVIEWS!* The other day when I woke up.**

**Third: I apologise to all of you who expected a preview. I really wanted to post this, because I'm a review sucking monster (giggle) **

**Onwards! **

Chapter 6 - McDonalds and Mobiles

"How can you not know what a mobile is?"

Leah's shocked expression was comical. Her eyes were practically falling out of her head in shock, and she just gaped at me, her mouth hanging wide like a fish. I let out a small chuckle before I could stop myself, and she scowled - the expression in her eyes showed that her fury was not a force to be reckoned with.

I had left Leah's house the night before in higher spirits than ever. I finally understood what Jacob was to Bella - her rock, the thing that numbed the pain. Jacob made her laugh and feel alive again. Leah was starting to become my version of Jacob, and I wasn't sure if that was a good thing.

We were sat in a deserted McDonalds at the edge of Seattle. Leah hadn't been too keen on the idea of going out with a bloodsucker, alone, to Seattle, but when I quirked an eyebrow at her and demanded if she was scared of me, she quickly rose to my challenge, falling right into my trap.

So there we sat, in one of the red booths, a 'Big Mac' on the table between us. Leah was stuffing her mouth with the salty fries, still watching me with wide eyes. Playing twenty questions with Leah had seemed like a bad idea, but when I suggested it, her entire face lit up, and so the game had commenced.

But her question confused me. She'd asked me what my 'mobile number' was, which confused me no end. I didn't have one of the hanging mobiles designed for human children - and I certainly didn't have a number for one. She'd been hysterical with laughter at my response, but now, she gaped at me, shocked that I didn't know what a 'mobile' was.

I didn't want to ask - didn't want to seem dumb. But after a few minutes of silence, I surrendered with a groan, asking the dreaded question.

"What's a mobile?"

Leah gawked at me for another couple of minutes before smirking broadly, bringing another fry to her mouth. She quirked an eyebrow at me, amused, before grinning broadly.

"You know, I really hope you don't try and wow the ladies with your knowledge of technology. Mind you, they're probably so focused on your 'perfect body' that they don't notice what rubbish leaves your mouth."

I looked at her, just waited for her to answer. She sighed when I didn't respond to her childish antics.

"A mobile. Like a telephone, except you can text and use the internet and all kinds of stuff like that. Look," she paused to pull a large black brick from her pocket, and put it on the table. I picked it up, about to examine it, but there was a crunch, and I realised I'd crushed the object without realising.

"Oops?" I tried, glancing up to see Leah's face suitably furious. I squeezed the sides of the mobile - trying to re-inflate it? - and the mobile was crushed. Leah sighed, grinned.

"It was rubbish anyway. It's actually called a mobile phone - some people just call them phones. Basically, you can message people - text - and call people. You can use the internet, FaceBook, Bebo, Twitter, you name it, most phones can do it," she paused to grin. "There's a phone designed for builders. It's supposed to be able to take being run over. I wonder if it's vampire proof."

I grinned at her, glancing down at the table. My eyes flickered to her chips, which she was obviously enjoying. My nose wrinkled at the scent of human food - too savoury, too bitter. Leah analysed my expression and guessed what the problem was, smirking. Then, she held up a chip, holding it towards me.

"Try it. I dare you."

I rolled my eyes. "I'm not such a child that I respond to dares, Clearwater," I told her. Leah rolled her eyes.

"Nobody's too old for truth or dare."

She continued to look at me, waiting. After another minute of this, I sighed heavily, took the chip, and stuffed it into my mouth. I didn't pause to taste the thin strip of potato, just swallowed and then blanched at the hideous after taste. Leah smirked as my reaction showed on my face.

She took the rest of the chips to the trash, dumped them in. Then, she looked at me, waiting for me to stand.

I stood, held out my arm for her to take. She swatted it away playfully, grinned, and walked out of McDonalds, the strong smell of fatty foods lingering behind us.

…

…

…

JCB Tough Phone on sale here.

I didn't understand what a JCB Tough Phone was. Wasn't JCB a company that made machinery? Leah beamed as she read the sign, and I immediately flickered to her thoughts, scanning them. I'd been respecting her privacy all morning, but now I was curious.

_JCB Tough Phone. It's perfect. Stop reading my mind, you mind perv, _she thought, quirking an eyebrow at me. I had the decency to look abashed, and she grinned, dragging me into the shop.

"Can we get the JCB Tough Phone, please?" Leah asked the shop assistant, who was gawking at me. Her thoughts were a shallow pool with no surprises.

_He's really hot… I wonder if he's single… _

"Sure," the shop assistant said, pulling out a box from nowhere. On the front, there was a picture of a black and yellow brick phone, which had the letters 'JCB' printed over the top. I quirked an eyebrow without thinking - something that Leah did.

She tried to sell us a bunch of other things, but Leah bought the phone on 'Pay As You Go' rather than 'Contract' and then we left the building. As soon as we got outside, Leah ripped the box open, inserting the 'SIM Card' into the back. The screen lit up immediately.

"This," she said proudly. "Is your new phone. Try not to break it, that cost a lot."

"Let me pay you back then," I said straight away. Leah shot me a look.

"No. It's a birthday present for the hundred and ten birthdays that I missed," she smirked again. That damned smirk would be the death of me. "I've got your number. When I get a new mobile, I'll text you," she added, turning as if she was going to walk away.

I smirked.

"So that's it then?" I asked. "You buy me a phone - isn't the boy supposed to get the girl presents - and then leave?"

"Pretty much," she grinned. Her eyes pierced into mine and for a second, I froze solid on the pavement. "Call me."

She turned to walk away, suddenly turning back and grinning even wider than before.

"And take a shower, bloodsucker, you smell like somebody poured caramel all over you."

…

…

…

**A.N: I rushed. I admit it, this is rushed but I was desperate to put this chapter up tonight. Is it going to fast - the relationship? Obviously, there are no feelings between the two - yet - but still? And I would appreciate ten reviews in the next eleven hours. Please? **

**PS: SORRY FOR ALL YOU PEOPLE THAT I PROMISED A PREVIEW! I APOLOGISE A LOT! I'm sending Edward filled baskets to all of you right now. **

**Much love! Peace out! **

**Oh, and no question for this update - just tell me something interesting? **

Soap! Xx


	8. JCB Tough Phone and iPhone 4

**A.N: Okay, this is probably going to be quite a long AN. I apologise in advance - but I'm not begging for reviews in this one! *squeal* **

**Thing 1 - OMG! I woke up this morning, and I had… *drum roll* 27 NOTIFICATIONS FROM FANFICTION! I was squealing like a fan girl, and I was like YES! So I'm really, really happy. Maybe I could have that tomorrow morning as well? Please? **

**Thing 2 - The quality in my writing for the last chapter was suckish. When I've gotten all of this fic finished, I'm going to rewrite it. I don't know what's happened to the quality and stuff, but it feels like it's going to pieces.**

**Thing 3 - The JCB Tough Phone is a genuine phone. Google it - bright yellow, a builder's phone. I think it's perfect for Eddiekins - loads of people imagine him being so technology prone, but actually, he's still living in 1918 in his head, bless him.**

**Thing 4 - THIS IS THE IMPORTANT ONE! **

**I'm doing a poll (if I can be bothered to put one on my profile lol) about my current fics. So… **

**Vote 1 - And Bad Wolf Rising will be my priority fic **

**Vote 2 - And 'It's What Makes Us Human' will be my priority fic. **

**Vote 3 - For A Siren's Call to be made into a fic, and to be my priority . It's currently a one shot - you should check it out! **

**Vote 4 - For (Because You're Worth Fighting For) to be my priority fic. **

**And if you read this all the way through, you're officially the best person ever. : ) **

**PS: Should I change POV in a few chapters? Let me know in reviews! (Hint hint) **

Chapter 7 - JCB Tough Phone

How utterly ridiculous.

I was sat in my room, staring at the large yellow brick. Why had she decided to buy me a mobile? What was the point? I knew what I needed to do now - I needed to buy her one in return.

So, I went to the last person I thought I would go to for advice. I pocketed my 'mobile' and rushed downstairs, to where I could hear Emmett (yes, Emmett) playing one of his many games on his games console.

"Die!" he yelled. The case for the game was discarded on the couch - the cover had the words 'Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2' printed on it. I shrugged to myself - the name of the game didn't bring any memories to my mind.

I glanced at the screen. Emmett was shooting some figure in the distance of the screen. I wasn't sure why he was torturing himself playing this game - the faults on the TV screen made it almost impossible to concentrate properly.

"Emmett?"

Emmett turned towards me, still playing the game. The sounds of people dying was a little distracting, so I turned the volume down. Emmett's eyes followed me all the while - still playing the game perfectly.

"S'up bro?" he asked, eyes wide. It wasn't often that I asked Emmett for anything - apart from asking him to come hunting with me, of course.

"I need to buy a… mobile," he told me. **(A.N: I apologise to all you people who call them cell phones. In the UK they're mobiles, and I don't really want to suddenly change it now.) **

"A mobile? Ed, why do you need a mobile?" Emmett demanded. I'd managed to keep Leah a secret from my family so far - twenty four hours, just about - but now, I was pretty sure that my cover was blown.

"It's for a friend," I finally admitted. Emmett raised his eyebrows.

"A lady friend?"

I rolled my eyes. Emmett beamed, suddenly yelling wildly, prancing around the room, his game forgotten.

"EDDIE'S GOT A LADY FRIEND!" He squealed like a little boy, finally collapsing back down onto the couch. **(I remembered couch, see?) **

"Yeah, she's female," I admitted.

Emmett froze. His whole expression changed, and he looked at me through dark eyes, finally whispering. "Is she on the dark side?"

He burst into guffaws. I rolled my eyes, turning away and meaning to go back upstairs to my room. I'd be able to find something there, surely. Emmett caught my arm and spun me back around before I could leave, though.

"Is she human?" he asked. "Or are we dancers," he added, grinning.

"Yes and no," I admitted cautiously. I wasn't sure why I was being so honest.

"How can it possibly be yes and no? Is she a human or is she a vampire?"

"She's a werewolf," I whispered. Emmett froze - his mind screamed at me. I had gotten better at ignoring thoughts, yes, but these thoughts were so loud that I had to clamp my hands over my ears.

_EDDIE'S FALLEN IN LOVE WITH A WEREWOLF! Frick Eddie, you sure know how to pick 'em. _

I just glared at him. "Not a werewolf exactly," I admitted cautiously. "She's a Quileute shape shifter. She's called Leah Clearwater, and she bought me this a couple of days ago. We're just friends, I don't love her. You know as well as I do that you can't love after loosing your mate."

"We also know that Swan left you," Em told me. "Mates don't do that, human or not. Mates don't leave their mate - I was in love with Rosie when I was a human Ed, even if I was dying."

"My feelings for her wouldn't have been so strong if she wasn't my mate," I growled at him.

"Ed, you were trying too hard to find your mate. She was your singer, you couldn't read her mind. Of course you were going to try and mate with her. She was different, yes, special, perhaps. But we don't know that she was your mate."

I just glared at him.

"She bought me this," I said again, pulling out the JCB Tough Phone. Emmett gaped at it for a second, before bursting into raucous laughter. If he was human, he would've been crying with laughter.

"Oh I love it, when can I meet her?" Emmett begged, grinning.

…

…

…

Three hours later, I was holding an iPhone 4 in one hand. Emmett had warned me to be especially careful with the phone, as it was 'extremely breakable.' So I knocked on Leah's front door, holding the phone gingerly.

_Edward? _Leah thought. _If it's you, come straight in, the door's open. If it's not you, this is really embarrassing to be thinking to myself. I'm just going to think about something else now… _

I chuckled and opened the door.

_POW! _

My cheek stung at the force of her fist swinging into my face. It burned dully for a split second, before the pain faded completely. I glanced up to see Leah grinning hugely at me.

"What was that for?" I demanded.

"I just love hitting you," she grinned. "It's so fun. Besides, you've been gone all day - I was expecting a visit, you know mister," she beamed at me. Her eyes caught the object in my hand.

"What's that?"

"It's a present," I replied. She tried to hide it, but I saw the way her eyes lit up as she examined the box, tried to work out what was inside.

"You didn't spend too much, right? Hell Edward, it's not my birthday for another six months!"

"Think of it at a late birthday present," I dodged her first question. She noticed, raised her eyebrows.

"It wasn't more than we can afford," I told her. "Besides, buying this, to us, is like a human buying something from the pound shop, so no worries."

She looked at me with that expression which plainly read 'I don't believe you' but took the present anyway, ripping the silver wrapping paper off easily, and staring at the box, with a picture of the iPhone 4 on the front. She gaped at it wordlessly for a moment, before turning to hit me again.

"Hey!" I dodged her fist. But she was beaming - her reactions were incredibly odd. She smiled hugely.

"If this is what you get someone after being friends with them for one day, what are you going to get me when we've been life long buds?" she grinned hugely, before moving forwards awkwardly, arms raised in the air. She was about an inch smaller than me.

I moved forwards too, putting my arms ready to give Leah a _hug. _It seemed very abnormal for a shape shifter to hug a vampire, but neither of us said that. There was a pause, as Leah wrapped her arms around my waist gently, and I leaned my head on her shoulder, sniffing her bitter sweet scent.

"…You better not be sniffing me."

…

…

…

**A.N: There we go. What did you think? **

**I-Phone 4 is my favourite phone, and it's well known, isn't it? If you don't know what it is, google Apple, and look at it. **

**IMPORTANT! **

**If you didn't read the AN at the top, go back and read from Thing 4, okay? It's important, I promise. **

**Reviewers (skip this bit if you didn't review) **

**RuKkA: I'll do my best - I really wanted to update today because of all the reviews! : ) **

**footballer96: More characters will appear next chap - I added Emmett in specially, but maybe a surprise appearance from Sammy Boy? (hint hint) **

**GothChiq80: Leah's got her phone, and yes, I expect Eddie will need to be taught how to text! Maybe we'll see some of that next chappie? **

**Penguinsrlovely: It's true, neither Bella or Edward was very modernised in the book, and in the film, did you see Renee's phone? I was like 'YOUR HUSBAND IS SUPPOSED TO PLAY BASEBALL FOR A LIVING! You have a crappy phone to prove how good he is!' **

**Alissa21: I really, really appreciate your offer on translating - really, honest and I would love you to, BUT at the moment I'm not accepting those offers - not just cuz it's you offering either, don't worry. I'll let you know if I change my mind : ) **

**: I hope this update is soon enough! : ) **

**Bad-princess400: Loved your review! I forgot to add Eddie puking - I'm about eat lunch, so… and your answer made me lol! **

**Thanks to all you other reviewers sayin about how you love it! I hope next chapter I manage to add some fluff - havent really tried it before! **

**QUESTION! **

**Which character should I add into this story next? **

**Much love to you all! Oh, and BIG SHOUTOUT TO THAT REVIEWER WHO FAVOURITED MY STORY AND DIDN'T KNOW WHY IT WAS THERE! Your review made me smile so much that my cheeks started to hurt lol. **

**BYE! **

**Soap xx **

**PS: Can we beat 26 notifications from FF in the next eleven hours? Ohh, tricky, tricky… **

**PSS: Reviews are like McDonalds CHIPS! :L **


	9. Seth, Meet Edward

**A.N: Let's try Leah's POV for a bit, shall we? Review if you like it and if you want me to change back, review as well (hint hint) I would love to get 10 reviews in the next eleven hours. Please? Pretty, pretty please? **

Chapter 7 - Seth, Meet Edward

I still couldn't believe it.

Thanks to Edward, the bloodsucker, who was supposed to be my natural born enemy, I was holding an iPhone 4. The expensive, high quality phone gleamed subtly in my hands as I examined it critically. I wasn't a technology girl, but you would have to be blind not to notice the obvious expense of the phone.

Part of me was confused: Edward wasn't technology prone. That much was obvious, especially when he told me that he didn't know what a mobile was. So how on earth did he manage to get me an iPhone 4, when he had practically no knowledge of phones?

I was shaken from my thoughts by the door opening. Seth came trotting through the front door, locking it behind him, and promptly dived upon me, his smile was so wide that it made me beam, too. He looked genuinely happy to see me. I smiled at Seth, pulled him into a hug.

"Hey sis," he greeted once we'd pulled away. His eyes shone as he held up a brown paper bag. I sniffed, instantly smelling the fresh cookies that Seth always bought on a Saturday.

"Hey bro," I replied. "I hope you got one for me, otherwise I'll have to steal yours."

Seth grinned.

"Don't worry Lee, I wouldn't forget you," he paused to pull a cookie out of the bag and hand it to me. I nibbled on the edges for a second, before looking around the room to check that there was nobody else in sight. Then, I put the cookie into my mouth whole, chewing a couple of times before swallowing.

"They good?" he asked. I nodded enthusiastically. Seth promptly stuck one into his mouth, swallowing the entire cookie whole. I gaped at him for a second, and Seth grinned cheekily.

Then, it happened.

"What's that?" Seth grunted, pointing to my new phone. Bits of cookie fell out of his mouth as he spoke. I gagged a little, rolling my eyes. Inwardly, I panicked. My thoughts became frenzied.

Promptly, my phone buzzed.

_From: Unknown _

_Message: Calm down Leah, just tell him your friend gave you it. And stop screaming your thoughts at me, you're going to give me a headache. E xx _

"A friend gave it to me," I mumbled. Seth raised an eyebrow.

"Did he now?"

"Who said he was a he?"

"You did. Just now."

Seth grinned evilly, and I glared at him, not bothering to deny it. My phone promptly buzzed again, and I looked down to read the message.

_From: Unknown _

_Message: Silly Lee. You need practice at lying - how do you feel about taking a trip to the infamous Cullen household today? My brother wants to meet you. He seems to find the JCB Tough Phone hilarious. E xx _

"So," Seth said once I looked up. "A guy, huh?"

"A friend," I corrected. "I'm not ready for a guy Seth, you know that."

"Who is he? What's he like?"

"He's really nice," I dodged his first question.

"I didn't catch his name."

"That's because I didn't say it. Can we drop it for now?" I added. Seth sighed but nodded in defeat. I smiled, looking down to type a reply - and add Edward to my contacts.

_To: Eddie _

_Message: I would love to come and meet your brother. He sounds like he actually has a sense of humour - unlike someone… L xx _

About a second later, my phone beeped, signalling I was getting a call. I let an amused smile onto my face, before answering the phone. Seth waved half heartedly as I left the room.

"Alright Ed?"

A bunch of rabble came from the other end. Confused, I tried to decipher some of the words.

"…_Emmett… give me… the damn… phone…" _

"_Nu-uh Eddie, I wanna talk to your friend too! Hi, is this Leah?" _another voice asked. I grinned.

"Yeah, it's Leah."

"_Haha! I loved your JCB Tough Phone joke, Eddie won't let anybody else touch it… though I did have to teach him how to text," _the voice continued.

"_Emmett! Shut the fuck up! Hi Leah, can I call you back? Okay, thanks," _and the line disconnected. I grinned - I really wanted to see what was happening, but I knew I couldn't just drive down now. That would be wrong.

_Buzz._

_From: Eddie _

_Message: Ye _

He was obviously still fighting for his phone. I sniggered, and pressed 'Call.' There was a long silence, before that annoying woman with the very posh voice answered the call.

"_This number has been terminated…" _I rolled my eyes. The two morons had obviously destroyed the phone. I wondered vaguely if Edward could still hear my thoughts.

I sighed. I'd have to try and contact him later.

…

…

…

Of course, about twenty minutes later, Edward was stood outside my bedroom window clutching the remains of the JCB to his chest. He waved half heartedly at me, his ginger hair being blown by the wind.

"I'm not ginger," he greeted me as he landed in my room.

"Never said you were," I replied.

"No, but you thought it," he smirked.

"Prove it," I challenged. He rolled his eyes and chose not to answer. I smirked in triumph.

"I'm sorry," he said after a pause. "Emmett landed on it. We tried to fix it."

I looked down at the broken yellow remains of the phone, and I didn't believe that. Edward looked sheepish.

"Honest. Super glue didn't seem to work, though," he said thoughtfully. I tried to stop myself laughing at him.

"Don't laugh at me," he pouted. That only made me burst into laughter, tears coming from my eyes as I promptly went into hysterics. Edward watched with an amused expression on his face.

"Subject change, please," I begged, once I could breath again. I'd never laughed so much. Ever.

"Okay. Will you come and meet Emmett? That way he won't try and steal my phone again," Edward asked.

"Of course. Do you have a date in mind?"

"How about now?"

…

…

…

"LEAH!"

I had a feeling I would regret this. Apparently, I was right, as a giant, pale blob promptly dove onto me and dislocated my arm. A searing pain ran through it, and I winced, but didn't let out a noise of pain.

"Emmett you idiot!" Edward roared in the background. I watched Edward pin his brother against a tree. Emmett - the pale blob - looked sheepish as he glanced over to me, where I was collapsed on the ground, holding my arm in place as it healed. The dull throb of pain was comforting, somehow.

"Is she okay?"

"Just healing," I called. "One second."

A couple of minutes later, my arm was back in place, fully healed. I stood up and looked at Emmett, who was staring at me with guilt in his golden eyes.

"Relax dude," I told him. "Nobody died."

Edward shot me a 'that isn't funny' look. I sniggered playfully, before signalling for Edward to let his brother go. He did as I said, and Emmett bounded over to me, holding out a large, pale hand.

"I'm Emmett!" he told me, beaming. "Video games, gadgets, any form of technology and wrestling, that's what I do. I'm the muscliest vampire in the world," he added proudly.

"I didn't know 'muscliest' was a word," I replied, grinning.

Emmett beamed.

"It is now."

The two led me inside, where the rest of the family was waiting. I felt a little uncomfortable as I walked into the house - the scent of vampires was too strong, burning my nose.

"I'm Esme," a motherly like vampire said. "This is Carlisle, my mate, Alice and her mate Jasper and Rosalie with her mate Emmett. We're cooking -"

"McDonalds," Edward interrupted. "She likes McDonalds."

I blushed bright crimson. _That's an embarrassing fact you asshat! Wait until we're upstairs and I can hit you in the face. _

"McDonalds it is," Esme replied, smiling shyly. I smiled shyly in return. Edward was tense beside me.

"Shall we go upstairs?" Edward finally asked, once the silence had gotten a little awkward. I nodded, inwardly smirking. I followed Edward up the stairs, past a wall of graduation caps, and into his room.

It was a beautiful room - decorated in black and gold. The object were squeaky clean, not a speck of dust to be seen on them. My eyes examined the room critically, and I could only think of one thing to say.

"No curtains?"

Edward burst into laughter, and below, I could hear the rest of the family do the same. I grinned, watching his reaction. Finally, he stopped laughing.

"No curtains," he agreed, smiling.

…

…

…

We spent the rest of the day either outside with his family playing some form of extreme sport, or inside at his grand piano. I lounged across the grand piano as he hammered out Lady Gaga for me to mimic, which was quite amusing - or at least, it was to Emmett.

We left - after I had eaten the McDonalds that the Cullens had supplied. As soon as we got into Edward's shiny silver Volvo, I hit him around the face twice for good measure. He didn't ask why, he just grinned and took it like a man.

"I hate you," I told him.

"Love you too sweetie."

We arrived back at my house at gone ten o'clock.

"This is where I get off," I told him.

"I'm aware," he replied.

"Right, well, night then," I turned to go into the house. Edward followed me to the door though, and pulled me into a cold hug. It was strangely comforting - being hugged by a vampire.

And then, the door burst open. Seth's happy face locked onto us hugging, and his breath caught in his throat. His black eyes became sombre - angry, and he glared right at Edward.

"So… this is your 'friend?'"

…

…

…

**A.N: Extremely long chapter! Now, you have to read all this. It's a must: **

**MOST IMPORTANT FIRST! **

**I'm considering doing an outtake for this chapter. Either of Edward and Leah singing Lady Gaga, or of the Cullen family playing some form of extreme sport in the garden. **

**VOTE 1 FOR LADY GAGA **

**VOTE 2 FOR EXTREME SPORT **

**Second: **

**I got 27 notifications the other day from FF. I was so darn happy that I decided to update again pretty much straight after. I would adore you all if I got that again : ) **

**Third: **

**Tomorrow is SATURDAY! Meaning more updates are possible… (maybe you can request updates in reviews… hint hint.) **

**FOURTH **

**Thanks for reading guys! And CHECK OUT MY OTHER STORY 'A SIREN'S CALL!' **

**Soap Sudz (thanks to my new BETA for that name lol) **

**PS: This is dedicated to all of you readers. Every single one of you. Even the ones who are anonymous and havent reviewed. All of you. : ) **

**PSS: this was an extra long chapter, so I DEMAND more reviews. **

**OK, AN over now, BYE! **

**Soap Sudz xx **


	10. Friendemies

**I quite like this chapter. Short AN today but one question: **

**HOW DO YOU DO A CONTEST? : S Please tell me someone! **

**Chapter 9 - Friendemies **

I cradled a cup of steaming coffee in my lap. I wore a blue baggy sweater with baggy denim jeans - comfort clothes. My hair, normally smooth and clean, was dirty and greasy, pulled up into a messy ponytail. I knew I had massive bags under my eyes, and I knew I looked hideous.

Seth's reaction to Edward had been both stressful yet entertaining. The memory made me cringe - I had made a complete and utter arse out of myself while my brother and my 'best friend' had talked.

"…_So," Seth shot me a glare. "This is your friend?" _

"_Hehe, err, yup, this is Eddiekins," I laughed, trying to ease the tension that lingered in the air. My attempt failed miserably - Edward shot me an irritated glance, and Seth just ignored me. I felt my cheeks heat up a little as I pushed past Seth and walked into the kitchen. Behind me, I could hear Seth and Edward follow me in - the door was slammed a little too hard._

"_Anybody want tea?" I called out, loudly. "Coffee? A cup of blood?" _

_Silence. _

"_Okay then," I shouted. I turned on the kettle, grabbing a large mug from the cupboard and pouring a little too much coffee into the cup. I quickly made the coffee and moved into the lounge, where Edward and Seth were sat, just looking at one another, not saying a word. _

_Awkward._

"_So," I paused to take a sip of coffee. "Anybody got any sevens?" _

_No answer whatsoever. _

_Then, suddenly, a grin broke onto Edward's face. Seth's expression mirrored his - their smiles growing as I watched. I blinked, rubbed my eyes. Then, as I blinked, Seth was giving Edward a high five, and Edward was laughing._

"_What the hell you guys!" I demanded. "You were all 'glare' and 'glare' at each other and now you're best buds?" _

_Edward looked at me. Finally._

"_Ahum… Lee, we were playing, it was a joke. See?" he asked, smirking, quirking an eyebrow at me. _

_I glared at him, and walked over as if I was going to hug him. I instantly started humming 'Row Your Boat' in my head. Edward looked at me suspiciously. I walked straight past him though, then turned around, and emptied the contents of my mug straight onto his ginger hair._

Needless to say, Ed hadn't been happy. He'd stormed out of the house almost instantly afterwards, leaving Seth and I to have a good old giggle as we watched Bella Swan's 'God' stalk into his Volvo and drive away.

But the following morning, when I woke up, I felt bad. I had gone to make myself another cup of coffee, and then I'd changed into my comfort clothes. I sat on my bed, visibly pouting as I listened to the song playing on the Radio.

'…_Well we got no choice, _

_All those girls and boys, _

_Making all that noise, _

_Cuz they got brand new toys,__*****__'_

Almost instantly, I shut off the radio, sinking back against my cushions with a sigh. I was acting like I was a lovesick teenaged girl who had just been dumped - maybe Edward had gone hunting or something. I did have a life before Edward came into it, didn't I? I could just go back to being the old Leah.

But before that, I needed to make a phone call.

_Calling Eddie…_

When there was no answer, I pouted even more, and decided that maybe I needed some Ben and Jerry's. But I cracked at that point - I needed to get out, to see someone other than Edward for once. I did have a life - I didn't revolve around him, after all.

So I picked up my phone again, calling the first person that I could think of. And that person just happened to be Jacob Black.

"_Hello?" _

I would recognise that voice anywhere. Isabella 'You dumped me so I'll dump you' Swan. Her voice was even more annoying than I remembered. I gritted my teeth, resisting the urge to snap at her.

"Hello, it's Leah. Can I speak to Jacob please?" I was short and abrupt. I hoped she would've got the message. There was no response for a couple of seconds, and then the sound of the dialling tone signalled she'd hung up on me.

She hung up on me!

A growl ripped from in-between my teeth. I let my muscles tense up and then relaxed, the tremors fading away instantly. I had become much more in control of my phasing recently. It was good - maybe I'd finally get to be a normal human woman again - not this giant menopausal wolf thing that I was currently.

I wasn't having it though - not from Swan. I ran downstairs at top speed, grabbing mom's car keys as I whirled past them. I fled out of the door before mom or Seth could ask where I was going.

I turned the key in the ignition, listening to the growl of the engine. Our car was old, second hand when we bought it, but it held many great memories. I wouldn't get rid of it for anything.

I sped off the drive, intending to have a laugh with my one time friend, and give Swan a good kicking.

…

…

…

I pulled up outside the Black's house, noticing Swan's red, broken truck discarded near the forest. I rolled my eyes, getting out of the car and locking it, before trudging over to the front door, a glare plastered onto my face. I'd forgotten all about Edward in my haste.

I rapped on the door, hard.

There was a flurry of voices and movement inside, and I heard someone come barrelling down the stairs. There was a loud bang, followed by a low 'ouch' and then, the door was pulled open.

I looked down at Swan. It was perhaps the best moment of my week - looking down on the person who had broken Edward's heart. She looked so weak, standing there, pale, with blood trickling from her nose. She was clumsy - not elegant in the slightest, as most girls were. She was pretty, but it wasn't in a unique way. Her skin was a little too pale for my liking, and despite living with Jacob for a couple of weeks, the smell of leech still lingered on her skin.

"Hi, is there a reason why you hung up on me?" I demanded. Part of me chastened myself, telling me to be quiet and polite. Obviously, Edward's manners had gotten to me at some point.

She looked down, her cheeks flushing bright crimson, her eyes glazing over a little. She bit her lip, and inwardly, I frowned. How could that possibly look attractive to someone? She looked like a nerd gone wrong.

Okay, I was being unnecessary harsh towards her, but Edward was my - my friend. She had broken his heart, fled to the werewolf for comfort, and Edward had no one apart from his siblings, who couldn't relate to what he was experiencing.

"…I didn't," she replied, flustered. "The line timed out."

"Oh, did it now? How convenient."

"It did!" Swan protested.

"Of course it did, you just fear that Jacob's going to be taken from you, don't you? Unless you're looking for an excuse to run back to Edward and break Jacob's heart instead. Is that your plan?"

"No! I love Jacob."

"Yeah love, you said that about Edward, too, and you dropped him like a piece of trash."

"What's going on? Oh, hey Lee," Jacob greeted with a friendly smile. I noticed the way his hand snaked around Bella's waist as he answered the door with her, noticed the light that shone in his eyes. Gag. Me.

"We were just having an argument," Swan said at once. I shot her a _very _dirty look - it was obvious Jacob would take her side without even hearing what the argument was about.

"Need your boyfriend to stand up for you?" I challenged, smug. Jacob's expression changed, became angry - no, furious.

"At least I have a boyfriend to stand up for me. At least I can chose who I want to be mine," she replied - she was just defending herself, but her words cut me deeper than you could imagine. I felt an odd sensation in my eyes, like they were pricking. My throat was being blocked by something, and my lips were dry.

I hadn't cried in years.

I wasn't going to let her watch - she had won, and she knew that. I hastily retreated to the car, fighting tears as I started the engine and revved it sharply, before turning back down the road and driving at top speed back towards our house.

…

…

…

I was badly in need of the Ben and Jerry's by the time I got in. Mom was already out, at the hospital, and Seth was out on patrol. I knew I was going to get in trouble if I didn't pick up on my patrol duties soon, but I certainly wasn't going out when I was in this state.

I went straight up to my room, stumbling slightly as I collapsed onto my bed. Something cold grabbed my arms, flipped me over so I could lay on my back. I looked up, dazed, to see Edward in all his glory.

He was wearing a white button down shirt, with beige shorts. I couldn't see his feet, but I could see his tousled ginger hair was back in it's usual shape, and there was no hint of coffee on him, anywhere. But the thing that made me feel a little better was the pot of Ben and Jerry's ice-cream that he held in his hand.

…

…

…

"How did you know I needed that?" I asked, gesturing to the empty pot of ice cream, a slight smile tugging at my lips. Whoever said that Ben and Jerry's was good for unhappiness was totally right.

"Alice," Edward replied vaguely. I looked at him, gesturing for him to elaborate. He grinned. "She had a vision of me disappearing through your window holding the stuff, so I figured I should come prepared."

"Ah, tell your sister I love her," I replied sleepily.

"Would you care to tell me what happened?" he asked, eyebrows raised. The images of Swan spitting those words at me, the heartbreak I felt as she spoke the words flooded into my mind, and I closed my eyes tightly, trying to destroy the images.

"She did that?" he asked. His voice broke.

I didn't say anything, just nodded. A single tear glided down my cheek. I felt so weak, so vunrable, especially beside the Vampire who kept it together so well. I looked up to see Edward clenching his fists, his eyes closed.

"I shouldn't have gone - I provoked her, really," I said, a little abashed. Everyone was on her side - I didn't want Edward angry at me. He looked up, his jaw tight, but a slight smile on his face.

"Leah, I was angry with her, not you. I couldn't be angry with you," he smiled shyly, and I grinned.

His arm wrapped around my waist securely, pulling me to him. I smiled in return, unsure as to why I wanted to nestle my head into the crook of his neck. I didn't fight the urge though, nestling into him.

…

…

…

**A.N: There we go - the chapters are getting longer, slowly! Inspiration comes in the form of a tube of Pringles (google it, if you don't know what they are) lol **

REVIEW!


	11. Confessions

**A.N: Do you guys prefer Edward's POV to Leah's? Let me know if you want it to change back. **

**Also I haven noticed a drop in reviews : ( **

**Do you guys even read the AN?**

**OMG CHAPTER 10 ALREADY! **

Chapter 10 - Confessions

I rubbed my eyes blearily, slowly coming too. I could feel sunlight on my face, warming me, and I smiled slightly, eyes still closed. I could feel a dull pounding in my head, and I knew I hadn't had as much sleep as I wanted to. Nevertheless, I wearily opened one eye.

A hint of ginger caught the edge of my eye. My head whipped sharply towards the window, where the ginger colour had disappeared, and I had a strong suspicion that Edward had just left - partly due to the fact that his scent was still just as strong as it had been before I fell asleep.

Why would Edward stay… and watch me sleep? I shook my head wearily, hoping to make my thoughts really loud to him as I mentally yelled at him.

_STALKER! _

Somewhere in the back of my head, I felt a twitch of irritation, and I had a feeling that was Edward's reaction, as he was probably still probing in my mind. I shrugged it off, skipped happily to the bathroom and decided to take a shower - my hair was still a horrible greasy mess from the day before.

Two fluffy towels and a shower later, I stood fully dressed in the kitchen, flipping some pancakes. Mom had just gotten in from the night shift - too tired to eat anything. I heard a low thud from above as mom passed out on her bed. I sighed - I missed my mom. She was never home anymore.

"Are they done yet?" Seth asked eagerly, jumping up and down as he watched me flip the pancakes. I shot him the _look _and he hastily backed down, a pout painted onto his puppy like face. I sniggered.

"Go and wait in there, you impatient little puppy," I scolded, ruffling his hair. Seth instantly shook his head, trying to right his hair, and stalked into the living room, muttering about 'evil sisters' under his breath.

I toyed with him for about five seconds, before letting a massive grin spread onto my face and calling out to him.

"Food's ready!"

Seth appeared in a whirlwind of speed, grabbing the entire plate of pancakes and darting away with them. Still, grinning, I ran after him, yelling at him. Then, I remembered mom, and hastily quietened down, though I didn't slow down as I chased him.

"Ha!" I yelled in triumph, holding the pancakes up in the air, jumping up and down to keep them out of his reach. Seth pouted, making his eyes wide, his bottom lip jutting out. I rolled my eyes at him, but inwardly, I was caving.

About ten seconds later, I sighed in defeat, handing over the pancakes.

"You win," I muttered.

"I'm sorry?" Seth asked playfully. "I didn't catch that."

"You win," I said, a little louder this time.

"…What was that?"

"YOU WIN, GOSH SETH!" I yelled, jumping up and down like an angry child. Seth smirked, winked, and disappeared with the plate. I pouted, turning around, only to come face to face with a certain Cullen.

"Whoa!" I squeaked, but his hand muffled the sound. I threw him a glare, my heart returning to its normal speed as I realised it was him. Then, my hand flew out and hit him sharply in the face. The amount of force I put behind the punch was apparently more than normal, as the stunned vampire flew across the room and into a wall, his form indentation into the paintwork.

"Great," I muttered to no one in particular. "Another month's salary is gone."

"You have a job?" Edward joked. I swatted his chest with the back of my hand - suddenly goose bumps rose on my arms. Hastily, I took my hand away from him, and the goose bumps faded.

"It's a figure of speech, you moron," was my intelligent reply.

We walked into the kitchen to see Seth stood over the stove. He was pouring some mixture into the frying pan, a look of deep concentration on his face. The plate of pancakes was half eaten beside him as he attempted to cook. He looked up as soon as we entered - overfilling the pan as he did so.

"Whoops," he muttered to himself, looking a little stumped about what he should do. He turned back to us, and grinned. "Hey Ed, hey Lee, I'm making you pancakes," he seemed pleased with himself.

I smirked. "You're _trying _to make me pancakes," I corrected with a grin. Seth pouted.

"It's the thought that counts?" He tried.

"Just keep telling yourself that, bro," I replied.

Seth pouted - once again - and returned to his cooking. I looked back at Edward. His golden eyes were bright, open wide as he gazed at me. Amusement was his main facial expression, and his pale skin contrasted oddly with the room. I finally understood Swan - well, no, I didn't - he was a handsome guy.

Wait. I didn't just think that.

Edward grinned broadly. "Glad you finally admit it."

_G-GET OUT OF MY HEAD! _How could a thought waver?

Edward grinned, said nothing.

"So, what are we doing today?" I asked, impatient to change the subject.

"Well… what do you want to do?"

I thought for a moment. Edward had taken me out twice - where could I take him? I pursed my lips, deep in thought. Then, inspiration came to me as I stared at the plate of fatty pancakes beside Seth.

"How about we go to a theme park?" I suggested, a devilish grin working its way onto my face.

…

…

…

"That smells disgusting."

Edward looked at my candyfloss (A.N. Is it cotton candy in America?) with an expression of pure disgust on his face. I giggled, tore off another piece and put it into my mouth.

"It tastes lovely," I grinned. "It's a shame human food isn't appetising to you - you'd really get the full affect of the theme park if it was," I sighed mockingly. Edward raised an eyebrow.

"So, what are all these?" he gestured to the rides around us, looking genuinely curious. I hoped he was joking, messing around with me. But the sincerity in his eyes told me he was completely serious.

"They're… rollercoasters?" I tried, thinking Edward would surely recognise the word 'roller-coaster.' Apparently not though, as he looked even more confused. Another sly grin made it's way onto my face.

"Come on," I said, looking at the biggest ride in the park. "I'll show you."

…

…

…

If, two months ago, you told me I would be laughing with Edward Cullen at Seattle Theme Park, I would've told you that you were crackers. But now, as I watched Edward scream and whoop like the seventeen year old he was inside, I felt as if it were destined to happen.

How crap-tactically romantic.

Edward grinned as the ride slowed, coming to a halt completely. His tousled hair just looked messy now - it didn't even look like sex hair anymore. His eyes glowed with freedom and he grinned stupidly at me. It seemed that I'd unleashed the one hundred year old's inner seventeen year old.

Which reminded me of something.

"Are you a virgin?"

Okay, that question was probably extremely inappropriate. Edward's eyes bugged out of his head and he flushed bright pink - avoiding the question. He turned to look out of the other side of the cart, still looking a little flustered.

"Can we go on that again?" Edward asked eagerly.

"As soon as you answer my question," I smirked at him playfully.

Edward sighed, and then, slowly, he nodded.

I burst into giggles. Edward rolled his eyes at my immaturity, but I was too busy giggling to myself to care. Eventually, still gasping, I managed to speak.

"…There's a film… called… thirty year old… virgin… you're a… hundred year old… virgin," I choked out, still hysterical with laughter. The ride stopped completely, and I was still hysterical with laughter.

The next thing I know, Edward was picking me up and carrying me forcibly from the ride. I could see people staring and I flushed bright red - Swan did that too. Edward chuckled, slinging his back over his shoulder, still carrying me.

"Put me down right now!" I threatened, glaring at him. Edward grinned cheekily.

"If you insist."

And then, he dropped me. I landed on my feet, of course, but if it was Bella, she would have crumpled and probably broken her neck or some weird injury like that. I shook my head, straighting up and throwing a glare at:

_THE ONE HUNDRED YEAR OLD VIRGIN! _

Edward glared at me, and suddenly, he was tickling me. I couldn't help but laugh - I'd always prided myself on not being ticklish, but Edward apparently, could tickle anyone. I rolled my eyes once he let me go.

"Meanie," I pouted at him. He grinned stupidly.

…

…

…

Four hours later, we arrived back at 'The Clearwater Household.' Seth had gone out - presumably to hang out with Jacob or another member of the Pack - so we had the house to ourselves.

I turned on the TV, and Garfield was on.

"Why does anybody watch this stuff?" Edward commented when I laughed. "It's rubbish, and not at all humorous."

"Funny, Edward, not humorous. Start living in the right century, oldie," I joked, nudging him in the ribs. He rolled his eyes and chose to ignore me.

_Ding dong._

I stood up. "I'll get it," I told Edward, for no real reason. I wandered down the hall, and pulled open the door.

A low gasp came from my throat as I stared into a pair of coal black, angry eyes. Behind me, I could hear Edward move from the lounge, hear him stand in the hallway behind me.

"Leah? Who's… oh," his expression hardened, becoming dangerous as he stared out of the door.

…

…

…

**A.N: Just call me lil' miss Evil! I love cliffhangers, so I hope you guys like this one? I haven't decided whose at the door yet, so it's a surprise for me too! Anyways, you enjoy now! **

**Reviews are better than chocolate teapots - which I happen to love.**

**QUESTION! (Forgot about these) **

**If you could DESTROY *evil thunder and lightening* any Twilight character in the books, who would it be? **

**Peace out! **


	12. Cold Hearted Wolf

**A.N: Okay, CONTEST DETAILS! I so didn't want to do an A.N but I hope you read this anyway.**

**Okay, main rules: **

**Rating: T - M **

**Genre: Whatever you like **

**Must include: Dancing Chocolate Teapots, a packet of discarded Tic Tacs, a box of McDonalds Chips, and a Cullen vampire of your choice dancing in a tutu. **

**Typically, the story can be anything you like so long as it has those things in it. Err the contest is called 'The Chocolate Teapots and Dancing Vampires Contest' **

**Chapter 11 - Cold Hearted Wolf **

I heard the sharp intake of breath from Leah, heard the anger that marred her normally respectable thoughts, and I reacted instantly. My first instinct was to protect her - but that was normal in friendship, wasn't it? I wanted to put myself in between her and whoever was at the door.

I moved out to the hallway at vampire speed gliding to a stop as I saw who stood at the door. Leah had attempted to close the door on the man at the door, but his foot was blocking it. Leah turned to look at me, her eyes pleading and filled with unshed tears.

"Hide," she mouthed at me. Confused, I shook my head. I watched as none other than the Alpha of the werewolf pack, Sam Uley, pushed the door open, looking at Leah with a surprisingly soft emotion in his dark, coal black eyes. I had to refrain from shuddering at the sight.

His head snapped up and his eyes met mine. Instantly, they filled with hatred as he glared at me with an air of 'I hate you' about him. His mind screamed at me, despite his coldly polite demeanour.

_What is a bloodsucker doing on our territory? _he thought, angry.

Memories ran through Leah's mind. I tried to catch one - finally grabbing hold of one as it flitted through her mind. I played it back privately, only half watching the scene before me.

_(Leah's memory. I feel the need to put this, just because.) _

_I stared at my expression in the mirror. It was curved downwards, permanently frowning as I examined my now flat stomach. I could feel the tears gathering in my eyes, feel the numbness in my chest. _

_They'd both left me. Sam had run away from me, never to return, experiencing his happy ending with my three month pregnant cousin. And just four months ago, both Sam, and my other reason for living, had left. _

_I was still grieving. I couldn't cheer up, couldn't be happy, because I truly had no one. Maybe if Harry was still with us, I'd be alright. I'd have someone to take care of, and to love. Sam would come and visit Harry, and maybe we'd all be happy. It felt as if everything went wrong when I lost him. _

_I stared into the mirror and let more tears pour down my cheeks as I looked at the calendar. _

_Happy birthday, Harry._

The memory altogether had played for about a twentieth of a second, but it left me extremely curious. Who was Harry?

"What is a bloodsucker doing on our territory?" Sam hissed in a low voice.

"Technically, it's not our territory," Leah told him. Smart girl. "The treaty line is twenty paces East - so he's technically not done anything wrong."

Sam glowered at us both in turn.

"Nevertheless, a friendship with a… vampire" _- bloodsucker - _"isn't acceptable for a member of the pack. I'm sorry Edward, can I ask you to leave?" he addressed me formally.

Leah didn't like that.

"This is my house, I can choose the company I keep! Just because you've got some sick little power feeding frenzy going on doesn't mean _we _have to suffer for it!" She snarled, shaking. Was it bad that I thought the way she said 'we' was incredibly… sexy?

I stopped that thought before it could grow into anything more. I had found my mate and lost her - I couldn't just oggle at other females because my mate had chosen another over me.

And Leah was my friend. Just my friend.

"Leah," he said, and I felt the pressure of the words. Leah's hand flew out and grabbed at the dado-rail* to support herself against the Alpha command. She pulled in a deep breath, steeled herself, and spoke through gritted teeth.

"I. Am. Not. Your. Slave. Now. Fuck. Off."

Sam raised an eyebrow - cocky.

"Leah, you _will _ask Edward to leave and you _will not _see him again," Sam said, and he suddenly looked gentle. "I'm sorry," he whispered, and disappeared.

"Edward," she muttered. I knew she was unable to fight the Alpha's command, but it still stung. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine," I replied, angry at Sam, not her. I disappeared out of the house before Leah could say anymore, but one thought lingered in the back of my mind.

Who was Harry?

…

…

…


	13. Breaking All The Rules

**A.N: Please answer bottom AN! And REVIEW! **

**Chapter 12 - Breaking **_**All **_**The Rules **

As soon as Sam left, I slammed the door and disappeared upstairs to my room. My iPhone was charging in the cradle, and as I looked down at the screen, I realised I already had two texts from Edward, along with a 'Missed FaceTime request? I read the texts first, confused.

_From: Eddie _

_Message: I heard Sam's command and I know that it isn't possible for us to see one another again. We can still text though, can't we? Please? Don't just abandon me for a _

The message stopped there. Confused, I moved onto the next one. It was considerably shorter -

_From: Eddie _

_Message: Who's _

I sighed. I went to 'FaceTime' and looked at it. As soon as I opened the little app, a message appeared on the screen. Confused, I scanned it through.

_Edward here - I set up a FaceTime account for you, so we can 'video call.' And when I say 'I set it up' when actually Emmett set it up. He's got a MacBook (some kind of fancy laptop) so we can chat via that. Anyway, Emmett's got it figured out, apparently all you have to do is click on Eddie and it'll call me. X E _

_What harm can it do? _I asked myself, before closing the starter message and pressing down on 'Eddie' with my finger. A second later, the screen morphed, with the words 'Calling Eddie' at the top in big letters. Amused, I waited for some kind of response.

There was a small amount of feedback from the speaker followed by the sound of someone clearing their throat. I looked down at the screen and saw - much to my surprise - Edward. He winked cockily at me.

"Hey Lee," he grinned. His smile was pulled down slightly at one side - I'd never noticed before. Amused, I made as if I was going to hit him, and despite our conversation being virtual, Edward backed away, alarmed.

"Hey Eddie," I grinned playfully. Edward rolled his eyes and smiled at me, though there was an underlying emotion in his eyes. I recognised it instantly - irritation, anger and fury all mixed together.

Irrianry.

Edward laughed. "Irrianry?" he asked critically.

"Hey, stay out of my head," I replied. I wished he was with me so I could either hit him around the face or swat his arm playfully. Edward smirked again.

"That's all you want me for?" he feigned being hurt, putting his hand to his heart. I rolled my eyes and laughed, but inwardly, I was starting to feel the late anger of Sam's command.

My fury had obviously shown in my thoughts, as I seethed: Sam had no right to tell me who I could and couldn't spend my time with! He had no right to ban Edward from coming onto _my _property - he was acting like an overprotective boyfriend, which he had _never _been, even when he _was _my boyfriend.

"Calm down," Edward smirked. I sighed, rolled my eyes.

"It's not fair," I grumbled.

"Never said it was," was Edward's blatant reply (_**Could somebody please tell me what that word means? I hope I used it in the correct way : S) **_

"Edward, I'll talk to you later," I said suddenly, thinking of when I wanted to speak to Jacob - when Edward had disappeared for half a day, then returned with a pot of Ben and Jerry's. I wished that could happen now.

"Oh," his face fell considerably. I smirked.

"Gonna miss me?"

"A bit," he admitted. He winked again. "See you around, She-Wolf."

In the background, before he ended the call, I heard Emmett yell: "I knew you would use my line!"

I giggled girlishly, then suddenly stopped. What was this vampire doing to me?

…

…

…

"Hey Jacob," I said, once Jacob had picked up the phone. I missed him - Jacob and I were friends, but since Swan picked him, it felt as if we'd grown apart. She was ruining everybody's life.

"Hey Lee!" Jake said enthusiastically. "I'm sorry about -"

"It's fine," I cut him off bluntly. I heard his low sigh.

"Why are you calling, Lee?" he asked, straight to the point. I was a little surprised.

"What d'you mean?"

"I mean we haven't spoken in several weeks - why have you suddenly decided to call me?" I could almost hear Jacob's eyes rolling.

"Because - because," I stuttered, feeling angry. I hardened up: _Where's the old Leah Clearwater who would've laughed in his face! Where'd she disappear off to - or did Edward take her with him when he left? _

"Leah?"

"I met Edward Cullen," I said finally. A weight that I didn't even know was there fell from my shoulders and I felt brighter instantly.

"As in -"

"Yes, Vampire Edward Cullen Jake, don't be such a pessimist, he's a nice guy and he's my friend," I replied heatedly. "I've already had Sam ban him from MY house, I don't need you giving me a pep talk on 'vampires are dangerous.' I am well aware of the danger, but I am not weak, and I am NOT ISABELLA SWAN!"

I could hear Jake's cringe.

"I know, Leah. What do you mean, Sam banned him from your house?" he asked, suddenly sounding irritated.

"Sam came in, saw Edward, and told me that I couldn't see Edward again," I replied, bitter and defeated. "We can FaceTime," I added. "But that really isn't the same."

"What's FaceTime?" Jacob asked. I mouthed wordlessly at the ceiling before answering.

"Never mind, Jacob," I sighed, rubbing my temples with my fingers. "What do I do, Jake? I miss him already, he's barely been gone a half hour."

"I'll think about it, Leah," Jacob murmured. "For now, get some sleep, you sound whacked."

"I'm dead beat," I admitted. Jake chuckled.

"I'd like to beat you dead," he joked. I smirked.

"Goodnight," I said curtly. "Have fun with your bitch!" I added, giggling, hanging up before he could respond.

…

…

…

Just as I was getting into bed, my phone buzzed. I picked it up eagerly, hoping it was Edward. I looked eagerly at the screen

_From: Orange _

_Message: Two for one on cinema tickets at Orange Wednesdays - _

I stopped reading and sighed. It was a vain hope, after all. I turned off the light and snuggled down into bed, unaware of the ginger haired figure who darted through my window.

…

…

…

**A.N: There we go! Now, two things**

**I have three options *german accent* and I vant you to pick the von that you fink is best. *Stop with the german accent.* **

**Now, I have two ideas for when this is over. I just want you guys to tell me which one I should do. Just write 1 or 2 in your reviews **

_**1 - All Human Fic. The Pack is a club made by Sam Uley, age 8. To be in The Pack, you have to hate The Vamps, and you have to know how to have fun. The Vamps is a club made specially for the Cullens and Hales. To be in the club, you have to know how to have fun, and hate The Pack. **_

**Basically, The Pack consists of Sam, Jacob, Embry, Quil, Seth, Leah and Paul, of course. They all live in Forks, and they're best friends. The story starts off with them as eight year olds, and moves up through their teenaged years. The Cullens and Hales move to town and they're instantly enemies with the Pack. Several years after that, Isabella Swan moves to Forks, and she wants to be friends with both sides. The story is Blackwater, with a little of Edward X Bella, and possibly third person's POV at the start as I can't really write the POV of an eight year old very well. I'll see how it plays out. Anyway, this one's my favourite.**

**2 - I rewrite Bad Wolf Rising - it's all gone to the rocks, if you ask me. So yes, I rewrite Bad Wolf Rising and post 'Outtakes: It's What Makes Us Human.' I do have a few outtakes which will gather dust, so there's that for you to vote for.**

**Or option 3 - One shot requests. Basically, a collection of one shots in the same story, you request the pairing and bam. **

Let me know in reviews!

Sudz x


	14. Ginger Nut

**A.N: Thank you for all the responses! So far, 'The Girl Next Door' (All human fic) is in the lead! So, I was thinking - I have a lot of readers and reviewers for this story. Should I make 'The Girl Next Door' into a Edward X Leah fic? **

**Also, a lot of you are pretty pissed at Sam. Now, I know you guys don't like him, but he honestly cares for Leah in this fic, and he doesn't want her hurt by a vampire. He's trying to protect her - Leah only sees Sam in the light that she does because he broke her heart, and is now keeping her best friend from her, in effect. **

**Also, Laurent and Victoria are still alive. Bella was already falling for Jacob while Edward was gone, so she never went to the meadow. It's a minor detail, I know, but I just want that to be clear in case they decide to pop in. **

**Also, Blackwater FRIENDSHIP in this chapter! I know some of you love Blackwater romance but in this story, I prefer to think of them as good friends. **

**Now, answer the above question: Leah X Edward fic of Blackwater? **

**Let me know in reviews! **

Chapter 13 - Ginger Biscuits

I awoke early the following morning. My mind was hazy, filled with dreams of screams and cries of agony from someone I loved - but their face was blurred, and their voice was unrecognisable. The only thing that I could remember - aside from the screaming - was a head of ginger hair.

I silently prayed that I wasn't falling for a ginger.

I went downstairs and made breakfast - just a couple of slices of toast. I wasn't in the mood to mess around and make pancakes, so I settled on the easy option.

I finished the food quickly, throwing the crusts in the trash and sitting down in the kitchen, glaring at the counter. It was barely twenty minutes since I'd woken up and already I wanted Edward with me. I sighed and looked at the clock. He normally arrived at nine…

I had to stop this. I was irrevocably obsessed with a bloodsucker. How wrong was that? We were just friends, friendship was the only connection between us. Sure, we were best friends, but best friends really didn't miss one another this much in between hours.

My phone buzzed. I glanced down at it eagerly, my hopeful expression dropping considerably when I saw it was Unknown. I wanted to hit something: I hated Sam so much at that moment, I would love it if he was set on fire and died in a blaze of flames and smoke.

_From: Unknown _

_Message: I've wanted you for so long. You're finally alone, sweetheart. Don't worry, I'm coming for you soon. We'll finally be together when he's gone._

Creepy. I deleted the message and blocked the number. My phone buzzed again, and I looked down once more, half fearful.

My fear disappeared when I saw it was from Jacob. I looked down at the message.

_From: Jacob _

_Message: Hey Lee. Fancy a walk on First Beach today at nine? Good, meet me there. Jake x _

I quickly typed a reply.

_To: Jacob _

_Message: Will your 'girlfriend' be there? _

My phone buzzed almost immediately. I glanced down at the screen.

_From: Jacob _

_Message: No. Now get down here, pronto._

I ran back upstairs and changed into Adidas shorts and a white T-shirt. Then, I jogged out of the front door, securing the door behind me.

…

…

…

I met Jake on the surf. He was shirtless - did he own a top? - and he walked with long strides, not taking my smaller figure into account. Still, I struggled along beside him, waiting for him to speak.

"You love him."

The words took me by surprise, and I was half entitled to laugh. However, the sound that did come out of my mouth surprised me - it sounded as if I was choking. I looked up at Jacob and I was surprised to feel a tear roll down my cheek. I brushed it away impatiently and continued walking.

"Come on, Lee," Jacob said, leading me away from the beach and up to a rocky ledge by the cliffs. We sat down and Jacob looked me right in the eye, his eyes clear as he stared me down.

"I love him as a friend," I corrected.

"Whatever," Jake dismissed. "It's obvious you revolve around him - checking your phone to see if it's him, trying to keep in contact with your old friends when he's around and failing, because you want to see him instead. You're silly, Lee, and you're blind. You're obviously more than friends," Jake smirked, as if he'd already won.

"…How do you know that I check my phone to see if it's him?" I spluttered intelligently.

"Leah, you never reply to a text that fast. Ever," Jake smirked.

"Hmph," I looked away from him. Jacob leaned forward and attempted to catch my gaze. After two failed attempts he sighed and muttered under his breath.

"Talk to me Lee. That's all I want," Jake said. He paused. "I'm your friend. I'm not going to laugh at you - not now, anyway."

I sighed, buried my face in my hands. Then I looked up through blurred eyes, sighing again.

"…When he's not there, I think about him. When he is there, there's never a moment when I'm not smiling. He makes me smile - he numbs the pain Sam left. In fact, no, he doesn't numb it - he's healed it. I can't feel the scars that he left anymore - I feel happy. But I'm not going to get to see him again. Sam laid down the law - no Edward Cullen in my house. I have to talk to him through frickin' FaceTime!" I yelled at the end.

"FaceTime?" Jake blinked.

"Never mind," I replied grouchily.

"Leah," Jake said seriously. "You were there for me when Bella didn't want me. You were my best friend back then. You did everything for me - we were best friends. So I'll be damned if I'm going to let you be unhappy for the rest of your life. Don't worry Lee, you'll see him again," he paused, examining me. "Do yourself a favour - go home and take a nap. You look like shit."

I glared at him and flipped him off. "Thanks Jake. Bella sure is one lucky gal," I added sarcastically.

…

…

…

_Ring. Ring, ring. Ring. Ring, ring. Ring - _

"What!" I snapped irritably, my voice thick with sleep. My iPhone was starting to become my worst enemy with no contact from Edward and too much contact from Jacob. Jacob sniggered at the other end of the line.

"I just wanted to let you know that the thing with Edward is sorted. You can see him again Lee."

It took a second for me to process what he said. I blinked in shock and looked straight ahead, biting my lip.

"Jacob. What did you do?"

…

…

…

**A.N: I know, barely anything happened in that chap. It's a shortie but I wanted to get it up, and the rest just wouldn't fit into this chapter. I apologise but I'm going to put it up if not later today then tomorrow for sure : ) **

**Remember: **

**Jacob X Leah **

**OR **

**Edward X Leah **

**I remember somebody asking about a Jasper X Leah fic but that just won't work for this fic I'm afraid. My apologies to that person. **


	15. Two Weeks Later

**A.N: Hola! **

**Now, it's been a while, but I had minor writer's block for this chapter. I managed to **

**PUT UP AN OUTTAKE! IT'S CALLED 'Living To The Xtreme' AND IT'S ABOUT THE EXTREME SPORTS THAT THE CULLENS GOT UP TO WHEN LEAH FIRST VISITED THEM! **

**Onwards with the story! **

**PS; Dedicated to all my lovely reviewers (love you guys so much!) and my loverly beta Baddie (bad princess-400) **

_**Two Weeks Later **_

"_You're late, you're late, you're late, you're late." _

"Shit," I cussed as I heard the annoying tone of my alarm clock. It was Jacob's voice, recorded in a high screech. I cussed again as I glanced at the clock. I was late for patrol. Again.

With my werewolf speed, I propelled myself out of my warm bed, shuddering as the cold winter's air washed over my boiling hot skin. I was surprised at how quickly the weather had changed this year - barely two weeks ago it had been sunny all around, no need for humans to wear a coat out.

I pulled on some joggers and a loose fitting beige cotton tee, before quickly brushing my teeth and rushing downstairs, not even pausing for breakfast. I passed Seth as I ran through the kitchen - he was eating from a large plate of pancakes. My stomach gurgled in annoyance.

"You're late," Seth greeted as I ran past him.

"I know!" I yelled as I disappeared out of the door.

I ran into the forest at top speed, guilt coursing through my body. It had been a long time since I felt this bad about something - but I was late for patrol, and I owed Jacob so much. He'd done so much for me in just two weeks…

"_Jacob. What did you do?" I demanded, a little breathless. How embarrassing. _

"_Simple Lee," Jacob replied. "I left the Pack."_

_Silence followed his statement. I stared blankly at my bedroom wall, looking at the intricately painted picture hanging on it. My eyesight blurred for a second before I could speak again._

"_You. Did. What?" _

"_I left the pack. Don't worry, Lee - I've been planning it for a while. Sam was a little overbearing and I wanted a bit of peace and quiet for myself. Besides, I'm going to stop phasing soon. Unfortunately, we'll have to phase until everything settled down a bit, but I'm not going to force you to continue phasing." _

"…_How do I join?" _

Jacob was a good Alpha. He knew how to get co-operation from me - and Seth, later on when he decided to join. He wasn't overbearing and he hadn't used the Alpha command once. He didn't force us to phase, but he did ask us to continue phasing for about a month until the excitement of us leaving Sam's pack had died down.

I didn't get to see Edward as much as I used to - before Sam made the Alpha command, that is - but obviously, seeing him a little less was better than not seeing him at all.

_Morning Lee, _Jacob greeted lazily. For a minute, it seemed like he'd forgotten I was late. I was ready to sigh in relief and pick up the northern perimeter - but Jake dove in front of me, his black eyes boring into mine.

_A-Ahh, hi? _I tried.

_You're late, _he said, though his mental voice wasn't annoyed in the slightest.

_Yeah… sorry about that, _I replied lazily.

_It's not alright Leah, but it's not like you, and besides, it's a Saturday. Everyone needs a day off sometimes, right? _Jake told me.

_Right, _I agreed.

_Start circling, _he told me, closing the conversation.

We fell into a comfortable silence, the thrumming of our paws against the dirt was the only sound. My nose was continually sniffing, picking up every scent - both the nice and the nasty.

An hour later, we were still running the circle - we were about half way around. My mind was straying from the task at hand - I thought back over my day so far.

…_You missed breakfast? _Jake demanded suddenly. I looked up, surprised that Jacob had caught the minor detail.

_Yeah. I was late. I didn't exactly have time to eat breakfast when I was already late. I do way too much for you, _I added, smirking slightly. The expression was odd on my wolf face.

_No, you don't do enough, _Jake corrected with a grin. _Now - go and get some breakfast. _

_What? No, I can't leave you to patrol alone. What if we catch a scent? _I demanded. _And not to mention that you'd have to run for much longer - you'd be exhausted, Jake. It's not healthy. _

_Leah. I'll be fine. Seth and Embry are coming on in about an hour. Chill - go and get some breakfast. I know you're dying to see your boyfriend, _he added, attempting to make a kissy face in wolf form. The image was beyond hilarious.

_Not my boyfriend, _I grumbled, running back towards the Cullen's side of the treaty line. I zoomed across the line, not even faltering as I dashed straight forwards, following the scent of the leeches - sticky like caramel and too much chocolate. The scent was sickening.

I stopped at the edge of the woods beside the Cullen mansion and phased back, quickly pulling on my clothes before walking out towards the front door.

"Boo!"

A scream came from my lips before I could stop it, and I looked up, more than a little shocked, to see Edward stood beside me. His ginger hair was ruffled with the wind and his eyes were bright gold - he'd just hunted.

"I hate you," I greeted, hitting him squarely in the jaw. He glared at me, but his eyes were filled with happiness. His glare faded, turned into a huge grin as he pulled me towards the house.

"What are we doing today?" he asked, still holding my hand. His cool temperature was strangely comforting - but it felt like fire was surging through my fingers at his touch. The feeling was strange.

"Fire in your fingertips, eh? Sounds like I'm making quite the effect," Edward smirked at me. I hit him again, swatted his chest in annoyance. A chuckle came from his lips.

"Shut up you smug little…" I didn't finish my sentence, just stormed into the house and slammed the door behind me. Edward caught the door before it could close properly, and followed me into the house.

I walked straight up the stairs, waving shyly to Esme, who waved back with enthusiasm. Then, I took a deep breath, and entered the music room.

"LA-LA-LA-LA! LA-LA-LA-LA-LA-LA-LA! YOU ARE THE MUSIC YEAH!"

I cringed as I walked into the room to see Alice and Emmett thundering away on Rock Band, which was set up in the corner. The grand piano usually took centre stage in the room, but with Alice and Emmett singing High School Musical 2 songs in the corner, it paled into the background.

Emmett looked around and noticed me. His eyes lit up and he dropped his microphone, rushing over to me and handing me one of the guitar controllers before I could protest. He pulled me back over to the couch in the corner, and told me to 'sit.'

"I'm not a dog," I rolled my eyes.

"Not right now!" Emmett corrected. I rolled my eyes again.

"What do I do?" I asked, looking warily at the guitar controller.

"Little coloured dots will appear on the screen. You've just got to copy them with your guitar - press down the colour and strum with this," he gestured to another part of the controller. I'll be on drums, Alice will sing and Eddie" - he paused and threw another controller at Edward - "can play bass."

I looked down again, incredibly wary now, and wondered what I'd gotten myself into.

…

…

…

_Singer: 100% _

_Drummer: 100% _

_Bass: 100% _

_Guitar: 43% _

How embarrassing. Edward smirked at me as the results played across the screen again, and I glared at him. Emmett was laughing raucously in the corner. I was trying to ignore him.

"Hello Leah," Esme said, coming into the room. She held a tray that was covered in breakfast food. She set the tray down on my lap and took the guitar controller away from me, throwing it back towards Emmett, amusement covering her face.

"Eat up - Edward said you hadn't had any breakfast," Esme told me, before leaving the room. I turned to glare accusingly at Edward, who held his hands up in the air in defence.

"I heard your thoughts - I'm sorry! They're so…" - he trailed off when he saw the glare I was giving him - "amazingly quiet?"

"Good save," I told him.

I finished the breakfast quickly, and we played another few rounds of Rock Band. The vampires (with amazing reflexes) turned the difficulty up to 'Expert' while I was stuck on 'Easy.'

I was falling asleep on the couch three hours later. We'd played Rock Band all afternoon, and I was sleepy already. My eyelids were just closing when somebody roughly shook my shoulders.

I looked up to see Edward, who looked more anxious than I'd ever seen before.

"Leah - something's happened with the Pack. They're on red alert."

…

…

…

**Ooohhhh snap! What's going to happen with the Pack? **

**Next chapter: LATER TODAY! OMG! AMAZAING! **

**Special thanks: already done at the top.**

**Also: **

**IF YOU DIDN'T READ AT THE TOP, I NOW HAVE AN EXTRACT FROM LEAH'S FIRST VISIT TO THE CULLEN'S! IT'S CALLED 'Living To The Xtreme' CHECK IT OUT PLEASE! **

**That is all. **


	16. Pain Is My Middle Name

**A.N: DEDICATED TO THE LOVELY badprincess-400 who is my Alpha Beta! She's amazaing, and she helped me get over my writer's block! Everybody REVIEW AND THANK HER! **

Chapter 15 - Pain Is My Middle Name

**SEATTLE TIMES: **

**MURDER MYSTERY: POLICE SUSPECT GANG ACTIVITY **

The headline screamed out from the page, and I glared at it, before turning my gaze to Edward, who was holding up the paper for both the Packs to see. His family obviously already knew what Edward was saying - they were relaxed in their chairs. I wasn't even sure why they were sitting down.

"So these murders are actually committed by an army of Newborn Vampires, who want to kill Bella, because their creator, Victoria, thinks that Bella is your mate," I summarised, sighing heavily.

Embry, Quil and Seth had been on patrol together, and they had come across three of these Vampires. They were stronger than your average vampire, but they were also untrained with no experience of fighting. Victoria had also been there, scoping the area, but she'd fled when she spotted the wolves. Obviously, the newborns didn't stand a chance, and they were destroyed.

"And Laurent is with her," Edward added, half a smirk on his face. "Obviously, this fight is going to be easy - we outnumber them, and we have the advantage with skills. Plus, with the element of surprise on our side with the wolves, they'll be shocked and incapable of reacting properly."

"Good," replied Sam. "When is this fight due to take place? And where?"

"Tomorrow, we think, and we're going to lay a false trail with my scent. They assume I would never leave Bella alone," Edward said harshly. He deserved to be harsh. I was glad he wasn't sparing her feelings.

"But we can't leave Bella unprotected while we fight," Jacob spoke up now.

"Bella can come," Edward replied quickly. "There's a clearing near the top of the forest, at the highest point. It's hidden away - we could take a tent for her to sleep in and one of the younger wolves" - he paused to look at Seth. I agreed there - I didn't want Seth caught up in the 'action' - "can stay behind to take care of her."

"I don't think that's enough protection," Jacob said heatedly. "What if Victoria finds her and she takes another vampire with her - one of the newborns?"

There was a long silence.

"I think you should stay with her," I told Edward. He blinked in shock, his eyes filling with hurt as he looked at me. I felt a little bad saying this, but I needed both him and Seth to be safe. I couldn't bear it if one of them got hurt.

"I don't want Seth to be on his own," I looked right into his golden eyes. "You're a strong fighter. You could take on Victoria easily."

_I don't want you hurt, it would kill me if either of you got hurt. Please Edward, do it for me. To ease my mind. Please, Edward. I'll do anything. _

Edward sighed. "Fine. Whatever."

Carlisle nodded, taking charge of the meeting once again.

"Edward and Seth will guard Bella during the fight. Edward will make a false trail leading to the clearing where we will fight tomorrow. We'll be waiting in two groups - Jacob's Pack and my family on one side, and Sam's Pack on the other side. From there, we'll attack from both sides."

There was a nod of agreement that went around the room.

"Good," Carlisle said firmly. "Edward?"

…

…

…

It was done.

A trail had been made, courtesy of Edward, leading up to the clearing where we would fight the newborns. Edward and Seth were in a higher part of the forest guarding Swan. They were safe.

Now, we were all waiting to ambush the newborns.

They came with fluidity - with a gracefulness that I'd seen many times in a vampire.

The Cullens took first go - leaping from their hiding spots and ripping straight into the newborns. I watched in amazement as Jasper and Alice whirled through the newborns, an unstoppable force as they tore them apart.

Then, Sam's Pack leapt from the bushes, effectively shocking the newborns as they tore into their section of the vampires eagerly. Paul was shredding through the vampires at an alarming rate, snarling, but his expression was eager.

It was our turn. Finally.

I leapt from my spot, my jaws catching hold of a newborn's neck as I decapitated him. I ripped the arms and legs from him effortlessly and tossed him into the fire that was already burning merrily in the centre of the clearing.

Minutes passed as we continued to shred the thirty newborns that had entered the clearing. Then, something happened that made my heart race. Seth's inner voice filled my head as I listened.

…

_**Seth**_

"_Edward, Bella," the red head crooned. Victoria. "I knew I'd find you together. You're inseparable," she smirked as if she'd already won. _

"_Not entirely, Victoria," Edward scoffed. "Isabella isn't my mate." _

"_She was," Victoria replied, still smirking. "How do I know this isn't a ruse? And besides, even if she isn't your mate, you still had feelings for her before. You'll obviously be in some form of pain if she is killed." _

_Edward smirked. "Go ahead." _

_I watched in shock as Edward stepped away from Bella, giving Victoria a clear shot. I had to protect her, even if Edward wouldn't. _

_Victoria looked a little confused, but slipped sideways and promptly disappeared. A second later, she appeared behind Bella, reaching to grab her neck - _

_Edward was quicker. Moving like air, he fit into the gap between Victoria and Bella, wrenching the redhead away from Bella. She gasped in surprise, backing towards the cliff face as Victoria and Edward launched into a full blown fight._

"_Riley!" Victoria screamed. A younger vampire, a newborn, stepped from the forest and smiled at me. Then, we were fighting too. _

_I snarled as I ripped off his arm, tossing it to the ground at Bella's feet. Cringing, she picked up the body part and put it behind her, making sure it was away from Riley. Then, she started a fire with the lighter she'd been given, and tossed his arm into the flames. _

_He dived towards me, snarling, but I was quicker, grabbing his entire arm in my mouth and tossing him towards fire. He disappeared in a burst of flames and a loud shriek. _

_I watched as Edward emerged from the forest, sporting Victoria's remains - arms legs, head and torso. He tossed each part into the fire and grinned at me. _

"_I guess I win." _

…

My entire body screamed in protest as something hard and cold wrapped it's arms around me. I barely had time to process what was happening as the newborn vampire that had me in it's clutches squeezed - hard. My bones cracked and crumbled as he squeezed, and a cry of anguish left my lips as the vampire was pulled from me.

I fell to the floor, limp, my vision blurred.

_FUCK! _

A strangled howl came from my mouth. It was agony. The pain radiated through me like nothing before - even the emotional pain from when Sam left was nothing compared to this. I rolled, trying to stop the pain, but it only made it worse.

"Leah!"

"Are you okay?"

"Of course she's not okay!"

I blinked again, and the tears swimming in my eyes cleared as I looked up at Carlisle. His eyes were filled with nothing but concern for me as he looked over me, but confusion was written all over his face.

"She needs to phase. I can't examine her or treat her in wolf form," Carlisle told them.

The pain was still radiating through my chest. It felt like I'd been hit by a bus, thrown into a stack of knifes. It felt like I was burning slowly from the inside out. Another whimper of pain left me.

"Leah," I looked up to see Edward was kneeling beside me. He looked like he could feel my pain.

_I guess you got the better deal, Ed, _I thought through the pain. _You played the hero perfectly - I got to play the broken werewolf who gets injured._

"Leah, you're going to have to phase back for me," Edward commanded.

_Like I'm going to phase back in front of a bunch of boys, _I thought. _I don't enjoy them seeing me in all my naked glory. _

"Alice, get a blanket, she doesn't want to be naked in front of us all," Edward snapped. Alice had obviously done as he said, as a second later a blanket was draped over my body. I sighed heavily.

_Here goes nothing. _

I began to shift, hoping to make the process as quick and painless as possible. A howl of agony came from me, which quickly changed into a shriek of pain. Curses and profanities left my mouth as I shuddered violently through the pain.

I realised a second later that I was crying.

"Did it," I gasped, exhausted. Dark spots covered my vision as I spoke. I knew I was going to faint - but how could I stop it? "Somebody get me a tissue."

"Stop being brave…" I heard Edward say, before everything went black.

...

…

…

_Need a readthrough before I can put this up. Any mistakes that you can see? _

_Sudz x _


	17. Edward

**A.N: You owe both chapters to bad princess-400 - so if you didn't review last chapter, you should definitely review this one and send her BIG THANK YOUS! Especially from me. **

**THANK YOU BADDIE! **

**Okay, on with the chapter. I hope you guys didn't mind the almost death of Leah - but Jacob was on a bit of a high from Bella's kiss in Eclipse when he saved Leah, and different scenarios mean different results. Anyway, I hope you guys are satisfied with the - **

**CONTINUED AT END**

**Chapter 17 - **_**Edward**_

"NO!"

I was helpless as I watched the newborn Vampire cling to Leah's torso. I was only seeing through the mind of the Pack - I was too far away to do anything. In the back of my mind, I was aware of Bella staring at me with confusion in her eyes. Seth's reaction was the same as mine - he was howling with misery as we watched the scene unfold.

She was being crushed. I watched as her pupils dilated and then grew tiny as the vampire squeezed hard and crushed her bones. She let out a jagged howl of agony as it happened, and Jacob quickly intervened, pulling the newborn from Leah's back and quickly tossing him into the fire.

Leah fell limply to the ground, another whimper of pain coming from her as she hit the ground with a thump. She lay, limp, for about a second, before my entire family, and the wolf Pack converged on her. Carlisle was bent over her, examining her.

I pulled away from the thoughts, aware of the scene around me. I was aware of the fact that Seth had already gone, and I knew I couldn't leave Bella alone. I quickly grabbed her, dashing through the trees at top speed, not even caring about Bella's motion sickness when I ran.

"Whoa!" Bella gasped as we stopped. I ignored her, dropping her to the ground and racing towards Leah, cutting through the wolf Pack, which was now human. Leah was still in wolf form, and Carlisle was talking to her, trying to get her to phase back.

"Leah," I bent down beside her, ignoring the sounds of anything else. Her dark brown eyes met mine, and a half smile formed on her face. She was twisted, obviously in serious pain, but she still managed to smile at me. Through the agony, she still had conscious thoughts.

_I guess you got the better deal, Ed. You played the hero perfectly - I get to play the broken werewolf who gets injured, _she let out a snort and then gasped, her breathing ragged as the pain hit her lungs. She closed her eyes, breathing deeply for a second, wincing again as she did so.

"Leah, you have to phase back for me," I told her, my throat felt like it was closing up. Like I was going to choke - which was an impossible feat for a Vampire.

_Like I'm going to phase back in front of a bunch of boys, _she thought through the pain. _I don't enjoy them seeing me in all my naked glory. _

She was stubborn even when she was in agony.

"Alice, get a blanket, she doesn't want to be naked in front of us all," I snapped quickly. Alice complied, grabbing a blanket from somewhere unknown and draping it lightly over Leah's body. She closed her eyes and inhaled shallowly.

_Here goes nothing. _

She began to shift, and a low shriek of agony came from her wolf's mouth, which quickly morphed into human cursing as her bones snapped back into a human form. She was crying, I realised suddenly. Tears of pain were falling down her cheeks as she stared up at me. She still managed another smile.

"Did it," she gasped. "Somebody get me a tissue."

"Stop being brave," I whispered. "I'll take her," I added to the wolves, who were obviously waiting to lift her. I looked down again to see Leah's closed eyes. I sighed heavily.

"Edward you can't," Alice murmured from beside me. "The Volturi are coming. The wolves can't be seen here - it would be chaotic. And if you weren't here it would draw suspicion from the Volturi."

"Damn it Alice! Tell them I was bloody murdered in the battle if that's what it takes! I'm not leaving her!"

"She'd want you to stay," Alice interrupted me. "So you should respect her wishes. She'll be fine, Edward."

_I still see you happy, _she thought. I nodded harshly, but before I allowed the Pack to carry her away, I touched her cheek gently before she disappeared.

About thirty seconds later, the Volturi emerged from the trees, Jane, Alec, Demetri and Felix. They surveyed the area around us with expressions of contempt, their eyes finally settling on Bella, who was stood behind Emmett and Jasper. I didn't want to be close to her.

"Carlisle," Jane greeted.

"Jane," Carlisle replied.

"I see you managed the… infestation," she told us. Her eyes flickered to Bella for a second. "It's amazing that you managed to destroy them all without help."

"We're strong together," Carlisle replied. Jane nodded, her red eyes bright as she once again looked at Bella.

_What is she doing still alive? Or still human… her blood is so luscious though. How does he resist? _

"I'm strong," I smirked at her. Jane shot me a look.

"No insight to her mind yet, then?" Jane questioned. Her thoughts showed that Aro had insisted she find out the answer.

"No," I replied.

"Well, you won't mind if I try…?"

"Go ahead," I replied blankly. I knew it wouldn't work anyway. Shields didn't just disappear.

Jane smiled at Bella, who shuddered in turn, but there was no pain. I could feel her attempts lingering in the air though, and wondered how she got away with doing such things.

"Hmph," she pouted. "And I see she is still human. Aro will be very interested to hear about that."

"The date is set," Alice replied in a curt voice. What was she doing? We couldn't have Bella as part of our coven! But we couldn't kill her either. I sighed heavily and nodded in agreement.

"Not happy, Edward?" Jane questioned.

I didn't reply. Jane smiled.

"That will be all," Jane replied. "I'm surprised that you've rendered us unnecessary. It doesn't happen often."

And with that, they disappeared in a swirl of their black cloaks. Bella exhaled heavily and looked back towards us with questioning eyes. None of us spoke - until I broke the silence.

"Leah."

…

…

…

"Okay Edward," Carlisle finally exited Leah's makeshift room. "You can see her now - but she's sleeping. Do not disturb her."

"I won't," I scoffed, before entering the room eagerly and sitting down quietly on the edge of Leah's bed.

I stared at her broken form, lying limply in the bed. She was so pale, her dark skin coated in sweat as she twitched and trembled in her restless slumber. The image of her entire body hooked up with wires monitoring her health broke my heart, and I just wanted to hug her and make her feel better.

Why was I never there in time to protect the people I loved? I always made the wrong decisions - I left Bella. Wrong decision. I chose to stay behind with Bella and not go with Leah and my family to fight the newborns. Wrong decision.

I looked down again, putting one hand across to touch her warm hand. It was a few degrees cooler than usual, the temperature unfamiliar. I felt the strangest burning sensation at the back of my eyelids. Regret and guilt filled me, spreading like wildfire as I looked away from Leah's mangled form.

All my fault.

But why did I feel like this? When Bella was lying, broken in the hospital bed in Phoenix, I had felt irrational guilt mixed with pain - it wasn't anything like this agony that I felt for Leah. Why was I so hurt, so upset and guilty over Leah's pain?

I felt a tugging at the edge of my head, and I instantly focused, praying it was Leah's thoughts. I looked down at her, and her eyes were half open. She was obviously examining me.

One thought came to her head.

_Edward…_

Then, the dark abyss replaced her conscious thoughts. My heart was both broken and flying. She'd thought my name. Nobody else's. She thought of me before anyone else.

I looked down at her. There was only one rational explaination, and I hated it. I was the same as Bella. And I knew why she had chosen Jacob over me. I looked down at Leah, squinting, my forehead creased into a frown.

I had made Bella's mistake. I had fallen for my support, fallen for the only thing keeping me standing.

I had fallen for Leah Clearwater.

…

…

…

**ROMANCE! OMG! HE'S FINALLY REALISED! I know, we're really early in the story, but honestly, I couldn't make him wait longer. Besides, Leah's still blissfully unaware of her feelings. The next few chapters will hopefully be fluffy - which I have never written before, even when I was writing my own stuff. **

**REVIEW! I'M MISSING ALL THE REGULARS! **


	18. Waiting Is The Hardest Thing

**A.N: Okay, I was so pleased at the response for the last couple of chaps! This is dedicated to all you lovely reviewers… and readers who have never reviewed. I do like reviews… **

**BIG SHOUTOUTS: **

**Scribitur Ad Narrandum MADE ME A BANNER AGES AGO! I'VE FINALLY GOT THE LINK UP, SO PLEASE CHECK IT OUT! **

**Gray264 - PLEASE CHECK OUT HER STORIES! She didn't request I advertise them or anything - I stumbled across her series and loved them! Please go and check them out and drop her a line! **

**ONWARDS! **

**Disclaimer: Twilight is the property of Stephanie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. **

Chapter 18 - Waiting Is The Hardest Thing To Do

I was helpless.

I watched as Leah tossed and turned, crying out in pain as she did so. She was still unconscious, but not sedated. I was trying to persuade Carlisle to put her into a medically induced coma, but we would need a lot more sedatives to keep a werewolf in one for any length of time.

It had been four days. Four days since my revelation - four days since I'd seen Isabella Swan… and four days since I'd seen the light that shone in a certain pair of mahogany brown eyes.

Leah.

I watched as she turned and cried out in pain again. This was ridiculous - it was stupid letting her feel so much pain. Looking at her russet toned skin, covered in a sheen of sweat, I felt a strange sinking in my dead heart.

Why did it have to be her? The question had plagued me for the past four days. Selfish as it seemed, I wished any other wolf would have taken the pain - apart from Leah. If she'd been unscathed, I wouldn't feel this strange panging in my chest. I wished she was better.

If I'd been there with her, she'd be fine. If I'd been there to stop that newborn attacking her, stop it practically killing her… I wouldn't know. I wondered how long it would've taken me to realise I loved her if she hadn't been hurt…

"How is she?" I was barely aware of Carlisle's entrance. I sighed heavily, watching as she moved slightly and groaned in her slumber. I gently placed my cold hand on her forehead and watched as she started to stir.

She was waking.

"Edward," Carlisle said sharply in a low voice. His eyes shone with urgency as he grabbed a thin needle from the tray beside Leah's bed. I looked at him with alarm - I needed to see her awake.

"It's too soon," he explained quietly. "She needs more time to heal."

But as Carlisle said this, Leah's eyes shot open. She stirred, looking directly at me, her dark hazel eyes wide with emotion before she gasped weakly, leaning back as a memory overtook her mind.

It was the attack. The pictures of the newborn pouncing onto her, squeezing tight and breaking her filled her mind. I watched with horror as the image changed, became more sinister and dark as the newborn's teeth slit her throat and she fell to the ground, bleeding heavily. It was an out of body experience for her, and a second later, I watched her start to shake, eyes wide.

"I've got to sedate her," Carlisle said, jolting forwards with the needle in his hand. I moved forwards to block him, and Carlisle sighed heavily.

"Look at her, son," he whispered. I did as he said, turning ever so slightly to stare at Leah. She shook with fear, a low noise of terror coming from her throat. The look in her eyes told me she wasn't ready to wake up yet.

I stepped out of the way, seeing nothing. However, my eyes never left Leah's as Carlisle moved forwards and gently placed the needle to Leah's skin. A second later, her eyes rolled and she fell back onto the pillows, limp as ever.

…

…

…

Four days later, I was starting to panic. Carlisle assured me that Leah would be fine, that she was only unconscious due to the medication and the fact that she needed to heal before she woke up, but I was still unsure. Her mind was blank, silent, and it scared me. I missed the loudness of her thoughts - the comforting accent that she had even in her mental voice.

I missed her.

I hadn't hunted since the fight. I didn't feel the need to, and I didn't want to leave in case she woke up while I was away.

It was a Monday, and I was sat on the couch in Leah's room, ear buds in my ears. I stared at Leah's sleeping form, a sigh coming from my mouth as I watched. I missed her so much. It was irrational.

"Edward."

I looked up to see Carlisle stood before me. He was holding a needle in one hand. I repressed a sigh. It was time for Leah's daily dose of sedatives.

"Go ahead," I replied. Carlisle had asked since I freaked out the first time he attempted to sedate her. I was glad he'd finally put her in the medically induced coma though. At least she wasn't hurting anymore.

"I think it's time she woke up," Carlisle said. I blinked. I should have gotten that from his mind - but I didn't have the motivation to listen to thoughts at that moment.

"Really?" I asked.

"Yes," Carlisle replied. "She's healed enough. She'll probably only have a slight limp when she wakes up."

I nodded eagerly.

"She'll probably wake up sometime this evening," Carlisle said. "I suggest you go for a hunt in the meantime."

"Hmm," I replied. I wasn't going to leave now.

…

…

…

"Edward. Edward, she's waking up."

I jumped in surprise. I'd zoned out yet again, trying to determine what had happened to my love for Bella. I couldn't tell when I'd lost my affection towards her.

"Is she?" I asked, my eyes lighting up. I disappeared up the stairs before Carlisle could reply.

I entered her room at top speed and gasped in disappointment. She was already awake. I'd missed her slowly coming too, missed her waking up for the first time in eight days.

"Nice to see you too," Leah smirked, clearly interpreting my sigh wrongly. Her eyes were lit up with that light I'd been waiting to see, and everything about her seemed to glow, despite the fact that she was lying in bed, in a makeshift hospital.

"Sorry," I apologised immediately. "I wanted to be here when you woke up."

An unknown emotion shone in her eyes. A smile flickered onto her face before she could stop it. She quickly changed the subject.

"How bad am I? Or… how bad was I? I don't seem to be injured anymore," she laughed, the sound was light and radiant.

"Your entire left side was crushed - several ribs and your arm with your entire leg apart from the foot. You'll probably still have a slight limp but we're going to get you a bit of physiotherapy - plus, with your werewolf perks it should probably be fully healed in about a month. You're lucky Leah - if you were fully human you'd probably be unable to walk."

I watched as she exhaled heavily, closing her eyes as she did so. I gently placed my hand over her warm and toasty one and she smiled slightly, before opening her hazel eyes to smile at me.

"Did you miss me?" she asked, sounding half amused, half curious.

I smiled in return.

"Yes Leah," I replied. "I did."

…

…

…

**A.N: **

**Your thoughts? Next chap is going to start with the physiotherapy I think - can anybody say WOOT to Edward massaging Leah's leg to untense her muscles? LOL! **

**Reviews are better than Edward climbing through your window with a tub of Ben and Jerry's Cookie Dough ice cream : ) **


	19. Confessed

**A.N: I'M SO SORRY!**

***Cries into bucket***

**THIS IS ALL MY FAULT! DON'T WORRY, I'M GONNA FIX IT, I PROMISE I WON'T ABANDON THIS STORY. I SWEAR TO GOD I WON'T ABANDON IT.**

**Now, I thought I'd treat you guys to a chapter in Rose's POV! Ooh, how exciting! I'm having serious issues trying to write this from Leah's POV or Eddie's, so I figured, 'Rose plays a big part in this chap, why not her?'**

**Enjoy!**

**~ Soap x**

Chapter 19 – Bonding

If there was one thing I'd learned in all my hundred years, it was to not show emotion before mortals. If you showed emotion either in front of them, or towards them, they became attached. And if they became attached, there were only two ways to go, and both of them ended in pain.

My family were very caring and close to me when I was first changed. If I was human, I would have needed some form of therapist to get me through the emotional pain that followed being violently assaulted and raped by my fiancé. As it was, I was very unemotional and I kept to myself. I couldn't risk that kind of long term pain again. In fact, I was very surprised I could even manage to mate after Royce.

But Emmett made me feel alive again. His laughter, his pranks, everything he did made me feel lighter, happier. I was so lucky to have him – Emmett had pulled the broken remains of Rosalie Hale together and fixed me again. I worked again, thanks to Emmett. I owed my extended life to Emmett McCarthy Cullen.

"Rosie."

I looked up, blinking slightly to refresh the venom in my eyes and clear my head. Emmett was the only one who could call me Rosie without me threatening their car. I wouldn't damage anything that meant a lot to Emmett. His happiness was one of the most important things in my life.

He was shirtless, unsurprisingly. Our nightly activities usually ended in nudity. He wore a pair of beige cargo shorts too, with no footwear. I looked up and our eyes met, my golden eyes meeting his black orbs. Whether his eyes were black with lust or thirst for blood, I didn't know – but I didn't have time to think into the matter further, as Emmett's lips suddenly squashed mine.

His lips were large, moulding around mine as we kissed. One good thing came out of being one of the eternally damned – I no longer needed to breath, meaning Emmett and I didn't need to break off for air during our nightly activities.

…

…

…

The night passed in a blaze – as it normally did. What was hours for humans only felt like a few seconds to Vampires. Emmett and I lay side by side on our double bed, saying nothing as we looked out of the window, waiting for the sun to rise.

As we sat in comfortable bliss, a noise penetrated our little haven. My forehead automatically creased into a frown as I listened closely, my sensitive hearing missing nothing. The sound resumed again, a little louder. It was the werewolf who had fought with us during the newborn battle – Leah Clearwater.

She had woken up for the first time two days previously, and my brother was obviously smitten with her. Edward was either lying to himself or completely aware of the fact that he centred himself around this small, insignificant little wolf. I didn't understand his fascination with her, nor did I trust his judgement. He'd only just lost his first supposed 'mate.' I wasn't going to trust him a second time.

There were other reasons for my obvious disapproval – like a certain incident when said wolf pushed me from the Cullen Bridge. I rolled my eyes at the memory. The stench of the murky water hadn't come from my clothes for weeks – I was more than a little upset about that. I'd loved those ballerina pumps.

But that was beside the point. The point now was that the she wolf was hurt. Her low cries of pain shattered the feeling of peace inside me and I sighed heavily, standing gracefully and planting a kiss on Emmett's cheek, meaning to go straight to the door. However, my husband's soft voice cut me off.

"Where are you going, Rosie?" Emmett asked, looking incredibly serious. His eyes were wary – he was quite close to Leah considering. He thought that she was an incredibly fiery and strong little thing. He enjoyed the way the two would hit one another and tease continually. They acted like a couple.

"To see Miss Clearwater," I replied, as if it was obvious. Emmett's face slipped into a frown.

"I promised Edward I wouldn't let you go to her," he muttered, as if annoyed with himself.

"Why?" I sneered before I could stop myself. I hated people controlling me, telling me what I could and couldn't do. I'd had too much of that during my human life – I wasn't going to be pushed around again. "Is he scared that I'll hurt her? Does he imagine me rushing into the room and biting a chunk from his beloved's neck? Why does he think I'm so untrustworthy? I wouldn't hurt an innocent, not even for Edward."

Emmett was silent, and I took my opportunity. I wasn't even sure why I was bothering – was I going to tell her to shut up? Was I going to have a go at her for stringing my brother along, making him think that he was in love for a second time? I didn't really have what I was going to say planned out – I just bolted straight into the wolf's room and closed the door.

Carlisle was holding a syringe baring more morphine and sedatives. I automatically cringed slightly, moving my eyes from the needle to look at the girl, who was lying in the makeshift hospital bed.

Sympathy stirred within me. She was dressed in a white hospital gown, with wires and needles penetrating her oily skin. She was doused in sweat, her forehead covered by a light sheen of the stuff. The odour coming from her wasn't overly unpleasant, but the smell of sweat wasn't very appealing.

She had her eyes closed, a slight crease in her brow as she inhaled and exhaled slowly, mouthing numbers as she did so. Her hands were folded in her lap, as if she were trying to radiate serenity – but the subtle shaking of her body gave away her fear.

I cleared my throat, and immediately the wolf's eyes snapped open. She examined me quickly, before looking away at a painting on the wall. She was obviously uncomfortable with my being here – probably because she'd thrown me into a river three weeks ago.

"Can I speak to Leah, please?" I asked, looking more at Carlisle than the wolf. Carlisle raised his eyebrows at me slightly, and the sound of running footsteps filled the room. I sighed heavily, before the door was thrown open to reveal my idiotic brother.

"No," Edward snarled, the sound echoing around room. I looked up with raised eyebrows, taking in the curl of his lip and the fire that burned in his black eyes. He hadn't left the house to hunt since Leah was injured. His attitude was obviously suffering for it.

A snarl left Edward's lips.

"Stay out of my head," I growled back.

"You can't talk to her," Edward said harshly.

"Says who?" Leah beat me to it, glaring straight at her 'friend' and curling her lip in annoyance. "You're not the boss of me Edward; you don't have responsibility over me. I'm a grown woman – I can make my own choices."

I admired her spunk – she was a fiery little thing, she had just enough willpower to balance out Edward's overbearing personality. She glared at my brother with arched eyebrows, waiting for him to defend himself.

He surprised me.

"I'm only trying to protect you," he mumbled. He turned to me. "Don't hurt her," he commanded, before flitting from the room. Carlisle followed suit, taking his needle with him.

I moved towards the bed. Leah's dark eyes watched me with curiosity as I perched at the edge of her bed and brought my knees up to my chin. Once I was settled, she spoke in a small voice – but her words were surprisingly harsh.

"What do you want to speak to me about, Blondie?"

Her eyebrows were still raised as she waited for me to answer. I sighed and thought about it. Why did I want to talk to her? Why now? Did I just want to defy Edward, or did I really feel the need to share what I thought about her so soon?

I took a deep breath, and my words came from my mouth in a rush.

"I don't know why I'm here. I don't even know why I want to talk to you, of all people. You've made your dislike for me pretty clear, so I guess it's time that I repaid the favour.

"I don't like you. I don't know you, granted, but I don't particularly like you either. You shoved me off a bridge, you showed complete insensitivity towards my brother, and I guess that's why I'm here," I began.

"I was changed young. Too young – I barely had chance to live. I was happy, I was going to be married to my fairy tale prince. What else could a girl want other than their perfect happy ending?" I asked; it was a rhetorical question. "The answer was simple. Nothing."

"But everything was torn away from me. My fiancé, Royce King III, had never drunk at all the parties we went to. He said he didn't like the wines. I didn't know he preferred something much stronger.

"One night, I was walking home from visiting my friend Vera, and her son Henry. It was almost winter – I was worried the wedding would be ruined by a downpour. I hurried down the dark alleys, trying to get home before the gloom settled. Then, I saw him.

"Royce and his friends, all gathered in an alley corner. Empty bottles were strewn on the ground around them. They were all laughing raucously when they saw me – then they got the idea.

"They came up to me and pulled my new jacket from my body, flinging it into the street. They pulled my hat from my head, the pins pulling at the roots of my hair. I cried out in pain – they enjoyed that, the sound of my pain.

"I'll spare you the details. They left me alone in the streets, bleeding to death. I was cold; I just wanted it to be over. Then, Carlisle came. He took me back to his house, where Edward and Esme were – I was the first new member of the family. Then, he changed me.

"I awoke with a clear mind and faint memories. Carlisle explained what I was and I went out hunting. It was only then that I realised what I could now never have."

"What was it?" I'd forgotten Leah was even here. However, she was staring me with eyes wide with tears. She closed her eyes for a second before opening them to stare at me. This girl had more compassion than I first realised – the bitch Swan had shown no emotion when I told her, she'd just skipped off to see my brother.

"I can't have children," I whispered. Silence filled the room as I said the words. I looked up, half fearful, to see Leah's eyes blazing with sorrow and anger – I was confused. Anger?

"It's so fucking unfair!" she stormed, twitching her legs restlessly as if she wanted to pace up and down. "Those people who want to have children so badly can't! Why the fuck not! You never even got the chance to conceive and I never got the chance to give birth!"

I froze. What did this girl mean? She was breathing hard and her cheeks were flushed with anger.

"Leah," I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. "What are you saying?"

"I was pregnant, Rosalie. And I lost him. I lost my only child," she whispered, as a tear trickled down her cheek.


	20. Chatting With Alice

**A.N: Hello good readers! **

**I'm so sorry I didn't put up an AN to explain my absence – my laptop had died, once again. I'm feeling very annoyed with it at the moment, but not annoyed enough to stop me updating : ) **

**Now, a slight problem that came up – some of you thought that Ed would be able to hear Leah's shocking confession; I just want to clear up that he couldn't. She was speaking so quietly that Eddie's still blissfully unaware. Sigh. Poor Eds. **

**Now then – ONWARDS! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight – the right goes to Ms Stephanie Meyer. No profit is being made from the writing of this Fanfic. **

…**I don't own supermassive Black Hole by Muse either – their totally amazing song, if you haven't listened to it, youtube 'twilight baseball scene' and listen to it : ) **

Chapter 20 – Chatting With Alice (EPOV)

I wasn't accustomed to it yet – the strong emotions, the need to protect her – everything that I had felt when I was in love with Bella and yet, it seemed stronger somehow, more permanent. I both loved the feeling and detested it – and above all, I was scared.

My family had trusted me the first time. They supported me wholeheartedly when I thought Bella was my mate – all apart from Rosalie, of course. But I knew she had the best intentions. She was just trying to protect her family from the threatening little human who could expose us to the population of Forks.

But now, with Leah, I knew I would not be trusted a second time. I had made an incorrect assumption the first time, and that would be my downfall. I knew my family would not be as supporting the second time.

"Edward."

I looked up to meet the eyes of my pixie-esque sister. Alice raised an eyebrow at me in question and slowly beckoned for me to follow her. With a sigh, I lithely moved from my seat and quickly followed her from the room.

Alice sped through the house and out into the garden. She didn't break her stride as she jumped gracefully over the river, twirling in the air before landing lightly on the other side. She continued to sprint through the forest – I followed her, not running as fast as I usually did.

Her thoughts were a blur, hidden as she recited the first book of the Harry Potter series in Latin. I hastily retreated from her mind, knowing she wanted privacy. I wasn't going to intrude – she would tell me when she wanted to.

"Thank you," she said softly, her voice barely audible through the whooshing of the wind.

We eventually stopped in a small clearing. The ground was covered in pieces of bark and other natural elements, the trees were cut down – leaving only the stumps. The dim light shone through the trees, the light was tinted green as it reflected from the leaves.

Alice perched down on one of the stumps, looking around the forest with reproach shining in her golden eyes. She was wearing a very 'Alice' outfit, with her leggings and pink tight fitting jumper. I watched as she sighed gently, the sound barely carrying to my ears as she crossed her legs and arched an eyebrow at me – in a silent question.

_Are you sure? _

Alice had grown accustomed to our silent conversations much faster than anybody else in my family. She enjoyed the privacy it supplied us when we wanted to share what we had 'seen' or 'heard' with one another. With our abilities, so different and yet so similar, we had bonded well.

I nodded, teeth clenched. I was a fool to think Alice didn't know – Alice knew everything. She smiled, almost as if she could read my mind, and waited.

I sighed heavily. "Yes, Alice. You're right… I'm sorry."

Suddenly, I was overcome with emotion. Once again, I found myself shaking slightly under the strain of the emotions I was currently experiencing. I felt like an emotional rollercoaster – this was really getting out of control.

I closed my eyes, picturing Leah's hand gently squeezing mine as she told me everything would be okay. A slight smile graced my lips – but her face morphed into Bella's, and her eyes shone with pent up betrayal and anger. I shook my head, dispelling the image as I opened my eyes once again, only to be startled as I realised just how close Alice was.

My instincts were very primary and focused at that moment – my reaction was similar to that of a newborn's. I moved behind her, retreating into the trees and watching her from a distance, a low snarl coming from my throat. I tried to control myself, tried to calm as Alice held up her hands in surrender.

"Calm down Edward," she reprimanded me instantly, a scolding look on her face. "I am not going to hurt you, or threaten your new mate."

"I didn't have an old mate," I replied almost instantly.

"Edward, I am not blind. Your connection with Bella was so visible you didn't need Jazz's ability to feel the undiluted _love _flowing between you. Just because you now feel ashamed you assumed Bella was your permanent mate doesn't mean you didn't have some kind of strong connection," Alice reeled off instantly, the words slipping from her tongue easily.

"I know," I shot back, defensive. "But you make it sound like Bella was my permanent mate. Although I felt something for her, it is nothing compared to what I feel for Leah."

"…Edward," Alice sighed. She moved closer now, folding her arms. "You admit she's your mate then? And you're sure this time?"

"This is why I didn't tell anyone!" I muttered angrily.

"Edward, forgive me, but we have to check! You made an incorrect assumption the first time, who's to say you won't make the same mistake again?"

"Okay Alice, I'll prove it."

I sighed and closed my eyes, focusing hard. Alice's gift was based on decisions, if I decided to kiss Leah and proclaim my love for her, really and truly decided, she would see the outcome. I just had to pluck up the courage to actually consider doing it.

A second later, Alice's eyes widened in alarm and her eyes glazed over, her breathing erratic and her expression shocked as the vision played out before her eyes. I watched through her eyes with bated breath, watching the vision play out.

Then, I watched Leah's heartbroken face as I stormed in on her talk with Rosalie, watched as she stood up and awkwardly limped down the stairs and left the house. I watched as she disappeared into the forest.

And I watched myself, as I curled up into a fetal position and tried to control my anguish and depression.

The vision morphed into another, five years later. Leah had returned – not aged by even a day as she ran back into the house and gently laid her hands on the side of my temples. I watched as the future version of me slowly came back to life and hugged her.

The vision morphed again –

Leah was dressed in a white dress, a bunch of blue flowers in her hands as she beamed at me with enthusiasm. I was stood by the alter, dressed in my black suit, hair tamed slightly and lights shining in my eyes as she made her way down the aisle – _Rosalie _close behind her.

"Shit."

It felt so odd to hear Alice swear, as the vision was dispelled. She looked at me with fire blazing in her eyes, and for a split second, I thought she was angry – but then her eyes lit up and she let a squeal out as she bounced up and down.

Oh god. I had unleashed the Alice.

"She is not wearing that hideous thing," Alice said, thinking back on the dress.

"Alice, take your time, I don't think she even feels for me yet. Besides, in your vision it took her five years didn't it? I cant tell her now. I'm not going into that depression again for your sake."

"Oh don't be silly! It will happen sooner if you tell her when you're supposed to!"

Could she be any more cryptic? I looked into her mind only to be met by Alice's thoughts of shopping, handbags and other 'fashion necessities' all translated into Ancient Greek. I rolled my eyes; hastily retreating from the 'surprise' that was Alice's mind.

I looked at the old gold watch that was strapped around my wrist. I had come across it in the late nineties, so it was fairly new, but very 'old man' as Emmett said. I liked it, however – maybe it was a reflection of my age. Leah had commented on it too, while she was highly dosed on morphine.

"_Your watch looks like something from antique road show," _she had giggled hysterically before falling into deep slumber. I was quite amused by her take on it.

The time currently surprised me – it was almost an hour since I had left Leah and Rosalie talking to one another. I looked up at Alice, who was still beaming as she thought blissfully of the amounts of flowers and dresses she would be able to purchase without needing an excuse.

"I need to get back," I told Alice.

"Yes we do," Alice replied, grinning, "I've got a wedding to plan!" she squealed, before dashing through the trees in a wedding induced haze.

…

…

…

Back at the house, Alice didn't even bay me goodbye – instead she darted into the house, leaving the door quaking unevenly on its hinges, yelling for Jasper to 'TURN THE COMPUTER ON!'

I followed her into the house at a slower pace, remembering what position I'd left Leah in. Immediately, I cast my ability out, sensing the tenor of thoughts in the house. The hum of noise I had been ignoring flowed back to me and I could make out words – rather than a babble of noise.

_I can't believe it… Leah… oh, Edward's back? I wonder how long it will take for Leah to heal properly…_

Rosalie's mind was clean – her thoughts didn't reflect on anything bad happening during her discussion with Leah. I assumed that meant everything had gone well – but I wanted to be sure. I knew I was going to regret it, but with a big gulp of air, I sought out Leah's mind.

There was a pause – during which Leah's mental voice rang out through my head. I listened; waited.

_I wish he was still here. I miss him. Oh Harry… I miss you so much. _

There was a brief pause.

_That soup Esme made was delicious. You can barely even tell she doesn't eat – her food is lovely. I must thank her for that again. Everybody's being really nice, for some reason. I wonder if Edward put them up to… wait a minute. _

I sucked in a deep breath and hastily retreated from her mind. In doing so, however, I'd obviously alerted her of the fact I had been 'trespassing' in her mind. A loud noise of irritation emitted from Leah and I could picture smoke coming from her ears as she shouted:

"EDWARD! GET OUT OF MY HEAD!"

I cringed and immediately 'whooshed' upstairs, stopping beside Leah's bed. She was propped up on her pillows, her face was flush and her eyes were red – from tears? I silently panicked – I needed to ask Esme if anything had happened. Or maybe Rosalie had done something… I tried to hide my thoughts; Leah was very observant. If she found out I had been worrying about her she would get very angry and tell me not to question things I don't understand.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Clearwater," I said, trying to put on my best British 'posh' voice. Leah was always amused by it – I'd learnt early on if I made her laugh when she was angry, she'd calm down some.

However, her angry expression didn't falter. I sighed, picking up Carlisle's fake 'doctor' glasses Leah had given him for a practical joke. He wore them every time he examined her now – when she was conscious – as it gave her one hell of a laugh. She'd crack up and tears of mirth would pour down her cheeks. And I'd laugh along with her, not entirely sure what I found more amusing – Carlisle wearing novelty glasses, or Leah's reaction to it.

"I bet you are," she scolded. But she smiled slightly now. "Y'know, your sister is a lot deeper than I first thought she was."

I froze. My mind clouded over in a red haze as I looked straight into Leah's hazel eyes. A low shudder rocked my body before I blinked hard and surveyed Leah with slight concern.

"…What did she do?"

A.N: Coming up, a spicy argument between Ed and Leah, Rosalie attempts to keep the secret, and Eddiekins catches onto Leah's little secret.

Well…. I'M SORRY I HAVEN'T UPDATED!

I am getting back to it – school really does tend to screw up your life, eh? Anywho, Lee Lee and Ed decided to speak up a bit – sorry if it's a tad OOC on Ed's part… he wasn't behaving quite as he should today.

Next chap – Lovers quarrel? Haha, joking, they aren't confessing yet! Poor eddie is still so mixed and confused… bless him.

Also – had an idea about a sequel!

WOULD ANYBODY WANT A SEQUEL?

Just curious… tell me in reviews… let me know if you're reading… you know what, just drop a line and say hi, tell me something interesting about your day – DID ANYBODY GO TRICK OR TREATING!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Soap x :D


	21. Clubbing Again

**A.N: And, here we go, new chapter! Let me know your thoughts? Sorry about the late updates, hope this makes up for it (a bit!)**

**A big, big thank you to Unknowngirl, anonymous reviewer! I know y'all have been asking for updates for an age, but she really shook me into actually sitting down for an hour lol. Hope I manage to do this justice; I've never been clubbing. **

**Review my friends! **

Chapter 21 – Clubbing

"Please, Leah?"

Alice's puppy dog pout was a very deadly weapon; that was the first thing I'd learned when I met the little pixie. Her puppy dog pout was famous among those in the know… but for some reason, I found myself immune to her cute charms.

"No, Alice," I replied firmly, looking at my reflection in the large mirrors that filled Alice's closet. The pixie – who was stood behind me, pouting – wiped her eyes theatrically and turned away from me, folding her arms over her chest in annoyance.

"I gave you the dress," she whined, apparently giving up the puppy dog pout. Her lip jutted out again. "Please?"

"And I settled for the dress," I agreed, examining the silk red number, "but that's all I'll accept from you Ali. I know your eccentric tastes; I do not want to become a life-sized Barbie for you. Isn't that Swan's job?" I added aggressively. All of the Cullens knew I hated Bella with a burning passion.

"You wouldn't be a Barbie," Alice protested. "It would just be a one off… please, please let me do your hair Leah! It's so thick and manageable… I'd be able to do so much with it!"

"Nope," I replied. "Sorry Ali. But I do love the dress," I twirled, feeling very feminine as I did so. The dress hugged my hips but flared out slightly and came to rest just below my knees.

"And you're sure you don't want to take the clutch?" Alice held up the matching red clutch. I shook my head immediately; it was far too gaudy for me, with a thick gold chain and gold stitching.

"Way too over the top," I replied. "But thanks again Ali."

"Anytime…" Alice replied, "In fact, if you ever decide to let me do this again I'll be over the moon… you're fun to shop for because of your specific tastes!"

"Okay Ali," I laughed. "I'll bear that in mind."

I was going out again – clubbing. The last time I'd gone out to a bar was when I first met Edward; and obviously, that trip hadn't gone very well, what with me being attacked and then stalked by Eddie himself.

Alice and I walked down the stairs together. The entire Cullen family was assembled at the bottom, as if it were some kind of royal occasion. Emmett grinned and wolf whistled like the complete and utter idiot he was, hooting loudly before shouting:

"You look hot!"

The sound of Rosalie smacking her husband on the head echoed around the room.

"Ouch! Rosie!"

I chuckled at their display. Despite the fact that Rose and Emmett were polar opposites, they really complimented one another somehow. They kept one another under control somehow; they were very well matched.

"I think so too," a throaty voice whispered theatrically from behind me. I turned around to face Edward – who was grinning like he'd just won the lottery or something.

"Hey stalker," I replied.

"Emmett was right," Edward paused to lick his lips. "You look absolutely stunning."

"Well don't eat me," I grinned. Edward flashed his teeth for a second, pulling a very evil expression.

"Are you sure you don't want to take the bag?" Edward asked me, looking concerned for a moment.

"Yup."

"You might need your phone," he told me.

"I'll survive without it."

"Remember what happened last time," he added cautiously. He was obviously seriously freaked out from one bad experience.

"Edward, I'll be fine," I tried to reassure him.

"At least take the rape alarm!" he said, seeming _very _agitated now. He ran his free hand through his hair and looked at me with wild eyes.

"And look utterly ridiculous in the pub holding a rape alarm in one hand?"

"You wouldn't need to look ridiculous if you took a bag!"

"I'm not fighting with you on this," I replied. "I'm not taking the thing. I won't find myself in that situation, and Alice has seen that I'll be fine, right Ali?"

She nodded, eyes wide as she watched us argue.

"Alice's visions are subjective; if a rapist decided to go for you, we would only see a couple of second before it happened – that isn't enough time for us to save you Leah!"

"I can look after myself," I hissed. "I'm ready to go now Alice."

"Leah," Edward pleaded as I stalked out into the main hallway. "Are you sure you don't want me to come?"

"That's what she said!" Emmett's raucous laughter rebounded around the room.

A loud smacking sound echoed around the room, followed shortly by Emmett's cries of protest as Rose dragged her husband from the room.

I angrily pulled my leather jacket from the hook and shrugged into it. Then, I snatched the stupid rape alarm from Edward's hands and shoved it into my pocket.

"Come on Jazzy!" Alice called, pulling her husband past us, out of the house. I heard the sound of the car unlocking, followed shortly by the engine revving.

"Thank you," Edward said softly.

"Tell you what, you're a stubborn arse hole Ed," I replied, grinning. "No problem. I'm just gonna look ridiculous holding a leather jacket the whole night."

Edward grinned. "No you won't. You'll look sexy."

"Damned straight," another voice called from above. Yet again, I heard Rosalie smack her husband on the head.

"See you later."

"Twelve?" he asked.

"One," I replied.

The horn honked. I grinned and quickly disappeared from the house, climbing into the back of the Mercedes. Jasper chuckled from the front seat; I glared at his back.

"Eddie sure is smitten," he muttered under his breath as he put the car in reverse, waving at Edward, who was stood at the front door, looking at me with concern in his eyes.

"I'm not fragile," I replied; I was talking to him actually.

"Yes you are," I heard him call, before the front door slammed.

XxXxXxX

"This the place?"

Jasper pulled to a halt down the alleyway at my confirmation, the breaks squeaking slightly as he did so. We were right outside the pub; literally, I only had to walk two steps to get inside.

"Yup," I replied. "You didn't need to drive all the way down the back alley. I could've walked."

"Edward's orders," Jasper replied in his Texan drawl. "He would've killed me if I didn't bring you all the way down."

"He's an overprotective fool," I replied. "Tell him a nice kick to the balls awaits when I get ho- back."

"I'll pass it on," Jasper replied. "He's sure to look forward to it."

I grinned, getting out of the car and slamming the door behind me, waving at Jasper and Alice as I walked quickly into the pub.

It was a warm place, normally filled with very friendly, happy drunks. I was even friendly with some of the barmen. The area was generally nice too; apparently last time I'd run into a weirdo and a bastard. Must've been an odd day.

I sat down in my usual spot, resting my chin on my hands. The bartender was taking someone else's order, so I waited patiently, turning around slightly to examine the scene.

The place was pretty damn crowded, though it was a Saturday. There were loads of people dancing, the lights were pulsing and music reverberated through the floor. I tapped my foot to the beat for a couple of minutes, before someone cleared their throat.

My head immediately snapped forwards, and I realised it was one of the bartenders that I was friendly with. His name was Oscar Matthews; he had light blonde hair and a friendly face. He was actually from Britain; he had quite the accent too.

"Hey Oscar," I said enthusiastically.

"Oh Lee, it's you? How've you been Babes? Haven't seen you in months…" he replied with a grin.

"I see the accent's less and less of a problem every time we meet," told him. "I'm good. Life's been sucky… still need to find a job, dammit."

"Well I could put a word in for you here," Oscar replied. "We're advertising."

"Thanks Oscar, but I suck with drinks. I'd end up breaking something," I said.

"Alrighty then," he murmured. "What can I get you?"

"The usual?" I asked.

His only response was to quickly fill a glass and put it down on the counter before me. I sipped from it for a couple of seconds, enjoying the bittersweet taste. The taste of alcohol was odd for wolves; it was really weird. Because of our temperatures, we burned off the stuff too quickly to get drunk. Unless you were really trying to get drunk, drinking them so fast that any human would be dead, it didn't happen. I'd only ever gotten drunk once since my phase.

"Hey sweetheart," a throaty voice said, sitting down on the barstool beside mine. I looked up slightly, not making eye contact with the rude stranger, just examining him.

He was tall, probably over six feet high when he was stood. He wore a dark trench coat, with a hat on his head. The overall appearance of him was quite shady; he looked like a creepy guy.

"My name isn't sweetheart," I replied.

"I thought that the endearment suited you," he replied.

"I think that the name bastard suits you, can I call you that?" I replied irritably. He was ruining my mood.

"You're spunky sugar," he said.

"You're rude, bastard."

He laughed. "I see how it is. It would've kept my ego intact if you'd just said you weren't interested you know."

"It sounded like you needed to be taken down a few pegs, bastard," I said.

"What's your name?" he asked, choosing not to add on a 'sweetheart' or 'honey' to the end of his sentence.

"Depends who's asking," I replied, grinning slightly.

"Joe Smith, baker," he replied. Oscar appeared in front of him. "Today's special," he added.

"I don't know… I'm not seeing anything special here," I replied, still smiling slightly.

"Ouch sugar," he put a hand to his chest, as if he were wounded or something. "That hurts."

"I'll bet," I replied. "Don't call me sugar."

"But you haven't given me anything else to go by," he protested.

"Leah," I replied shortly. "But don't act like it's fucking Christmas just because I gave you my first name."

"Not even a surname, Leah?" he picked up the shot glass from the counter and threw the liquid back into his throat. There was a pause whilst he swallowed; I could smell the alcohol on his breath. Whatever the day's special was, didn't smell so special after all.

"Nope," I replied. "Now, there's someone you might stand a better chance with," I gestured to a young girl who had auburn ringlets and a pale complexion. She looked around the scene nervously, apparently alone. "Look, she's terrified, go and give her a hand."

"Can't I buy you a drink first?" he pleaded.

"Nope," I replied. "I still got this one to go at. Now, go," I shooed him away. Joe sighed, but smiled.

"Nice to meet ya, Leah," he said, before disappearing towards the auburn haired girl.

I sat in silence for a few more minutes, before glancing down at my watch stealthily. It was a quarter to midnight; I still had time to have fun.

So I did.

I danced, both alone and with Joe on one occasion. Apparently he'd hit it off with the auburn girl – so he'd stopped trying to flirt with me. He came to say goodbye to me just after midnight.

"Well then sugar," he said, sliding into place on his barstool. "I guess I'm not gonna see you again."

"Nope," I replied.

"Can I at least have a surname?"

"Nope," I said.

"Damn, you're a stubborn thing," he replied. "Anyway, here's my card. If you ever decide you want to share that surname with me," he winked.

"I'm not sure your little friend will be happy with that," I nodded towards the girl, who was gathering up her coat and bag.

"She doesn't need to know," he told me.

"Because nothing will happen," I replied. Joe smirked; I rolled my eyes.

"See you later Leah," he said, stepping away from the bar.

"Or not," I called.

At half past twelve, I was considering getting drunk for the sake of it. Instead, I had a martini – which I hated – and led a conga line around the place. Once the buzz seemed to die down a little, I sat back down at the bar and ordered another drink.

"Having fun?" Oscar asked as I sipped from the drink.

"A bit…" I replied. I was actually ready to leave; the night was starting to drag. I was starting to wish I'd brought Jasper, Emmett and Edward too. That would've livened up the place...

"Bored?" Oscar guessed.

"Yup," I admitted. "I might go for a bit of a walk."

"Bad idea Leah," he told me. "There've been a couple of disappearances around these parts… even a couple of regulars. It's not a good idea to hang around these parts at the minute."

"Okay…"

Oscar sighed, watching a rowdy crowd dance around the club in enthusiasm.

"It's going to be a long night," Oscar murmured, too low for a human to hear.

XxXxXxX

"Cab for a Leah Clearwater?"

I turned around on the stool, smirking at Edward's English accent. He even wore a dark suit, red bow tie at his neck. His hair was gelled down into a smart style, and a handkerchief was tucked into his breast pocket.

"Did Alice make you wear that?" I asked in an amused voice.

"But of course. She made me do the accent as well," he replied. "Now, not to be rude, but this club has a very strong aroma…"

"Alright Eddie, let's go," I stood up, picking up my jacket as we walked out of the pub.

Once we were both in Edward's Volvo, I draped the leather jacket over my lap and yawned, unabashed. Edward smirked, revving the engine before speedily reversing out of the side alley and driving down the main road at top speed.

"How was it?" he asked curiously. "Alice had a couple of visions…"

"It was pretty good," I replied. "A bit crappier than normal, but what can you do?"

Edward looked at me in amusement. "So throwing up in the bathroom was the 'crappier' part?" he asked.

"That didn't happen," I told him. "Looks like Alice was wrong."

"She had a vision of you getting drunk and throwing up in the toilets," Edward said. "I should've known you would never be so irresponsible."

"Getting drunk isn't irresponsible," I replied heatedly.

"In that area it is," he said. "People have gone missing."

"I know," I replied shortly. "Don't ruin my buzz Ed, it was a damned good night."

"I'm sorry. I just worry. I'm not entirely sure what would happen to me if you went missing," he admitted in a small voice. I kind of held my breath for a second. "After all, you're my best friend. You really helped when Bella left me, you know. I don't think I ever thanked you for that."

I felt some kind of weird sinking feeling inside me, for some reason, but ignored it. "Don't worry Ed, I thought she was a bitch in the first place. Besides, we're best friends, remember? Best friends do things like that for one another."

He nodded, and the rest of the journey was silent.

XxXxXxX

**A.N: A bit longer than usual, yay! I hope this makes up for all of my none existent updates; it took ages to write this. Special thanks to my amazing beta Baddie. : ) **


	22. Job Hunting

**NOT HAPPY. **

**NOT EVEN TEN PERCENT OF READERS ARE REVIEWING! ANGRY FACE. **

**I know, this is free and maybe some people aren't satisfied with my infrequent updating, but as I've said NUMEROUS times before, reviews genuinely do inspire me to write. I'd be compelled to write tomorrow if I wake up with an inbox stuffed with review alerts. PLEASE! I am literally begging, how sad of me. **

**A.N: Sorry about the long wait! This chapter is particularly long, so please enjoy and review! **

Chapter 22 – Job Hunting

A very unfamiliar sound slowly brought me from the realms of unconsciousness. I found myself coming aware much faster than I did normally, and I was confused as to why. I'd had a particularly late night clubbing, and alcohol always tired me despite the fact that I couldn't get drunk or hung-over. I continued to breathe in and out at a slow, relaxed pace as I tried to work out why I was waking up so damned fast. I liked waking slowly, enjoying the transition from asleep to awake.

Then, my whole body froze as I realised exactly why I'd woken so quickly.

He was singing.

Albeit it was quiet, I could still hear him singing. He kept changing, sometimes singing and sometimes humming quietly, always in tune. His voice, though rough when he spoke, seemed very clear and easy to listen to when he sang. The sound of his voice made me tense up as if he was poised over my body, ready to sink his fangs into my neck.

"Thank you for ruining my mood," he said. Apparently he'd been keeping tabs on my thoughts while I slept.

"Sorry," I replied, a little abashed. For some reason, I felt as if I'd been intruding on something very private.

I could hear the smile in Edward's voice when he spoke again.

"Don't worry Leah. And I wasn't keeping tabs on your thoughts. When you're unconscious, your mind goes silent. Then, when you reawaken, your thoughts slowly get louder, like I'm turning up a radio station," Edward replied.

"Eloquent description," I grinned, finally turning from lying on my stomach to lie on my back and grin cheekily at Edward. His lips curled up at one side in response; his standard smirk.

"Fancy words, Ms. Clearwater," Edward replied after a moment.

"Took you a while to think of that one, old geezer," I said.

"No intelligent insult, wolf girl?" Edward said, grinning as he placed his guitar down on its stand, making sure it was secure before standing up again and folding his arms as he argued with me.

"Wolf girl?" I replied. "Are we going to make this a race issue?"

Edward smirked. "Don't be absurd."

"Don't be ridiculous," I replied.

"Don't be childish."

"Don't be repetitive."

"Don't be idiotic."

"CAN YOU BOTH JUST STOP TALKING!" Emmett's rambunctious voice yelled from below. I grinned, as did Edward. We didn't need to speak to communicate; not just thanks to Edward's mind reading. We were on the same wavelength.

"DON'T BE RUDE!" we both yelled, and burst out laughing as we heard Emmett's angry 'humph' noise.

"I thought we agreed that you couldn't come into the room while I'm not dressed," I said to Edward, once we'd both stopped laughing.

"I wanted to get my guitar," he replied.

"You could've played downstairs," I responded immediately, enjoying our bickering.

"No I couldn't," Edward said.

"Why?" I asked.

"I WAS KILLING ZOMBIES!" Emmett yelled again.

I grinned, turned back to Edward.

"Okay. I guess you can stay in here as long as you don't come close enough to smell my morning breath."

"Of course I won't," Edward said, just as Emmett spoke up from below once again.

"I CAN SMELL IT FROM DOWN HERE! BRUSH YOUR TEETH LEAH!"

The sound of somebody smacking Emmett over the head reached my ears. I felt my face flush, immediately annoyed at such a childish reaction. Plus, the whole blushing thing reminded me of Bella Swan; someone who I didn't care to think about. At all. Unless I was wishing painful events to happen to her.

"What are we doing today?" Edward asked me as I climbed from his very warm and cosy bed. He smirked, obviously reading my thoughts again.

"I'm not sure," I replied. "Did you have something in mind?"

"Not in particular," Edward told me. "You were thinking about getting a job last night though. Did you have something in mind?"

"Was I?" I blinked. "I don't even remember."

I thought about it. I did need a job, really. I didn't have much money for myself, and I needed to help my Mom with paying the bills for the house, despite the fact that I all but lived with the Cullens anyway. I should probably pay them rent, actually, considering that they buy food for me and they supply a bed too.

"Leah, we can help if you need financial aid," Edward said, apparently listening to everything that I'd thought.

Anger flared within me.

Wrong thing to say, Ed.

"I am perfectly capable of earning my own money, Edward. I'm not a charity; I can help my Mom by myself. I don't need your help," I spat, annoyed as I stalked towards the bathroom and slammed the door behind me.

Of course, in doing a dramatic exit, I'd forgotten to pick up some clothes. I deliberated for a moment, before exiting the bathroom in defeat. Edward's eyes were amused as he saw the annoyed pout on my face.

"I wasn't trying to insinuate that you aren't capable of providing for yourself and your family," he said. "I just mean, you're my friend. And you don't have to work if you don't want to. You can go to college and train for your dream job if it's what you really want. I just mean… don't feel that you have to stay here and help your Mom. Because we can help as well."

I felt like a complete bitch when he said that.

Edward laughed.

"I wasn't very clear," he told me.

"Doesn't change anything," I replied. I moved towards him, covered my mouth with my hand to stop my morning breath a little. "Thanks, Ed. Really. It means a lot."

Then, I moved back towards the bathroom with my clothes.

XxXxXxX

"Plumber?"

"No."

"Teacher?"

"No."

"Spa therapist?"

"Definitely not."

"Nurse?"

"We both know that's not possible."

Edward sighed and closed the lid of Emmett's MacBook, putting it on the desk and turning to face me. He ran his hands across his face and through his hair before looking at me with a very tired expression, anger blazing underneath his calmer façade.

"I don't understand what you're aspiring for," Edward admitted. "You haven't thought of any job that you want, nor have you actually mentioned one. I can't really help you if you won't tell me what it is that you want."

I sighed too.

"I don't know what I want!" I replied, a little angry at myself. "I don't want a dead end job, doing the same boring things every day, occasionally looking out of the window and wishing for something better than what I have. I want to do something fun. I want to help people, make their lives better and more fun."

Edward stared at me for a second, reopened the MacBook and typed rapidly for a couple of seconds.

"Why can't you become a nurse again?" he asked me, not looking up from the screen.

"The only hospital around here is Fork's Hospital, and I've got too many bad memories there," I didn't elaborate. Harry's death… my dad passing in his hospital bed. The whole concept of working there, spending a substantial amount of time in that building made me shiver.

"You're not just limited to Forks," Edward told me. "You're not contained by this little town, you know."

"I don't like big cities," I replied stubbornly.

"Why?" he sounded curious.

"Too loud. I'm just another person wandering the streets, trying to make my way in the world if I work in the city. It makes me feel small, insignificant," I admitted, trying not to make a fuss out of my words.

"You are not insignificant," I heard Edward say. I looked up from examining the stitching on the hem of my shirt, saw that he was staring at me with a very serious expression lingering behind his eyes. They were dark; he needed to hunt again.

"I don't understand," Edward said finally. "You're incredibly intelligent, Leah. Why don't you want to go to college?"

He'd asked me earlier about colleges, applying for Harvard and Dartmoor. The idea made me cringe; I didn't want to leave Forks, not anymore. Of course, I wasn't going to admit why; not even in my own head. Edward would probably hear, tell me I was being ridiculous.

"Why are you being ridiculous?" he asked, eavesdropping again.

"You need to stop trespassing in my mind," I replied, hoping he'd drop it.

"You're avoiding the question," Edward noted.

"Observant," I said.

"Leah."

"It doesn't matter," I stood up, paced across the room as I tried to relieve some of the tension that had built in my muscles.

"It's upsetting you. Of course it matters," Edward replied.

"Drop it," I said firmly, turning to look him in the eye. He stared me down, trying to find out what was wrong; but I wasn't letting myself think of it, of course. He frowned, a crease forming between his eyebrows. Then, he sighed and turned his attention back to the Mac.

"Maybe we should try local places this afternoon," Edward said. "The Forks Highstreet, similar places like that?"

"Yeah," I agreed. "Hmm… remind me what shops are there?"

"McDonalds, Hollister, Urban Outfitters, Hot Topic… and there are some smaller stores owned by the people of Forks, of course. There's a sports shop, DIY store and a wedding shop as well… quite the variety," Edward told me, knowledgeable as ever.

Alice danced into the room, grinned at Edward sneakily and then smiled at me broadly. Apparently being anything other than a vampire meant that you were oblivious when vampires interacted with one another. I chuckled, waved at Alice who looked at me eagerly.

"Shopping?" she asked hopefully.

"Nope."

Alice sighed.

"Didn't you see that?" I asked, confused.

"I was hopeful," she replied, smiling. I chuckled in return.

"You're going to see an Abercrombie and Fitch hoodie that you like… it's just above your realistic budget, so Edward's going to try and buy it for you… you'll refuse, you'll both argue and in the end another teenager will get the hoodie from you and buy it themselves. Let Edward buy it; consider it a belated Christmas present from Rosalie."

I raised my eyebrows.

"You'll get offered the job at McDonalds – you can do so much better Leah! – and Hot Topic… and the wedding shop, too. The wedding shop's rubbish, they get few sales and they don't pay you fairly… don't take that job. The McDonalds job? I see you ending up in court, testifying against a man who tried to assault you… The Hot Topic place? Bella shops there… I saw you running into her at work and somehow, you ended up breaking her jaw and being fired, and sued as well."

"So there's no point in even going?" I replied.

"Of course there is, silly!" Alice laughed. "Anything could happen that could change the course of my visions. You just have to hope that something happens to change the outcomes. Try making some reckless decisions."

Alice patted me on the shoulder smiled at Edward again and then exited the room.

"Do you ever get used to her?" I asked wryly.

Edward just smirked in response.

XxXxXxX

We walked down the high street side by side, occasionally bumping into one another. I was doing it on purpose mostly, to annoy Edward. Though I didn't move him whenever I crashed into him, I could tell that it was grating on him by the way he set his jaw and pinched the bridge of his nose. When I swung my hips into his side again, he suddenly wasn't at the same side as before, walking on my right rather than my left, and I stumbled, falling towards the road.

His arm was suddenly around my waist, I was leaning against him. I scowled, glared up at him. Edward smirked in response, leaned over a little to whisper in my ear.

"Don't anger me, Ms. Clearwater."

I grinned in response.

"Here?" he asked, looking up at the large sign above us. I eyed it warily.

"Yup. Let's hope Bitch-ella isn't here," I added, mostly to myself. Edward let out a chuckle though, rather than closing up and looking pained as he normally did when I mentioned his name. I threw him a questioning look; he just shrugged.

We entered the store.

At the front desk, I saw the little sign. Help Wanted.

"Hello sir, how may I help you?"

A young woman, dyed blonde hair and bright red lipstick. A mask of makeup on her face covered up all of her human features, made it impossible to see through. My mouth twisted at the sound of her voice, too cheerful and happy. We wouldn't get along, that much was obvious.

Mine and Edward's phones buzzed at the same time, we instantly scrambled to grab them. I read the text; it was from Alice.

_From: Alice_

_Message: Leave. Quickly. _

It wasn't signed, but I knew when Alice had seen something particularly bad. So did Edward apparently, his mouth formed a thin line.

"It doesn't matter. My apologies," he practically growled his last sentence, before quickly marching from the shop. He grabbed my forearm, pulled me along with him. I couldn't protest; he was too strong for me to try and resist.

Once outside, I turned on him, glaring up at him.

"What the fuck, Edward?"

"Alice," Edward replied. I hadn't even seen him pick up the phone, but it was pressed to his ear with one hand. He ran his free hand through his hair, pinched the bridge of his nose and began to pace in a short line just outside the shop.

_"I'm sorry, Edward," _she replied, sounding upset.

"How did you not see that?"

"See what?" I cut in, annoyed.

Edward looked down at me with a calculating look in his eyes.

"Don't you dare try and keep this from me, Edward," I threatened angrily.

"Alice saw you and the shop assistant having a fight because she'd come onto me in the crudest of ways. Then, you were arrested and sent to prison because you'd managed to break her leg."

"Oh," I replied, laughing nervously. "Sorry about that."

Edward laughed shortly, a bitter sound. I immediately cringed at the noise; it wasn't his usual relaxed, throaty chuckle.

"You're so unpredictable, Ms. Clearwater," Edward told me.

_"And hitting her wasn't the answer," _Alice piped up from the phone.

Edward disconnected the phone, we both grinned and moved onto our next shop. There was only the wedding shop and McDonalds left to try. I decided to try McDonalds first, pushed open the doors and entered the busy restaurant, Edward looking around warily. His nose was wrinkled up at the strong scent.

"Don't be such a wuss," I whispered as we moved to the counter.

"May I take your order?" the man at the counter asked. He wore a baseball cap with the McDonald's 'M' on the front, a polo shirt that was also sporting the logo, and plain black trousers. He looked bored out of his mind as he waited for me to reply.

"Actually, I'm here about the job," I told him.

"Of course," he brightened considerably. "I'll just get my boss, one moment please."

He disappeared into the kitchen. Edward leaned a little closer to my ear, whispered quietly.

"Alice says not to hit him," he nodded his head towards the guy's retreating figure. "I'll do my best," I replied lightly. "Why was I going to hit him?"

"He made a comment about a flake in his pocket," Edward said, barely hiding his amusement. My face twisted into disgust as Edward chuckled quietly from behind me.

"Miss, if you'd like to come this way?" the guy from before said. As I passed him, he smirked broadly, opening his mouth to say something. I didn't stop though, marched past him quickly and disappeared into the manager's office.

XxXxXxX

"They offered me the job!" I said once Edward and I were walking back along the high street again. Edward's mouth twisted up into a crooked smile. His eyes seemed lighter than they were in the morning; odd, considering that he hadn't hunted since then.

"I know," Edward replied. "Congratulations."

"It's just a shame I can't take the job though," I sighed.

"Why can't you take the job?" Edward asked.

"I assumed you already knew," I replied.

"What happened?" he asked seriously, looking down at me with a scolding expression. I smirked.

"The flake in his pocket is snapped in two now, shall we say," I replied. "I was asked to leave the premises."

Edward laughed.

"Perverted little bastard," I added under my breath.

"Wedding shop, then?" Edward asked, nodding towards the shop across the street.

It was well looked after, the exterior painted cream with gold lettering reading 'Weddings for You' across the top. A beautiful white wedding dress was in the window beside a smart black tuxedo. I gazed at the dress for a second, admiring the way that the bodice was embroidered and the way that it flared out below the waist.

Then, I shook my head, clearing my thoughts, and nodded.

"Yup. Wedding shop it is."

XxXxXxX

Inside, the shop was incredibly odd. I was instantly on my guard, for some reason. It was so dingy and mysterious inside, too stuffy and empty. I had to prevent myself shuddering as I walked past the wracks of wedding dresses towards the front desk, where a young woman was sat texting on her BlackBerry.

"Excuse me?" I asked. She jumped, dropped her BlackBerry which fell onto the desk with a small thump. She picked up the phone and slipped it into her pocket, looking up at me.

"I'm sorry," she said. "It's not been a very busy day so far… How can I help you?"

"I was wondering about the job, actually," I replied, smiling. Despite the woman looking a little obnoxious texting whilst she was at work, the place was clearly deserted, and I would've been bored out of my mind too.

"Oh yes, I'd forgotten! Well, I'll need to ask you some questions and have a look at your qualifications, if you'd like to come this way…?"

The woman was incredibly friendly – her name was Sara – and had owned the shop for quite some time. Business wasn't very good during the early months of the year, most people in Forks had a summer wedding, hoping for some rare sunshine on their special day. Sara said that the hours were flexible, the pay was good for a small town wedding shop.

But she also said that the pay was on sale, if you like. You got a fraction of the amount of money somebody paid for the dress, so did she. It worked out to about ten dollars per dress; which was not enough for me.

"Thank you," I said. "I'll need some time to consider, but I'll ring up tomorrow."

She nodded. "Of course."

I met Edward outside.

He was looking all cool, leaning casually against the side of the building with the wind ruffling his ginger hair.

"Auburn," Edward told me mildly. "So you don't want the job then?"

"Rubbish pay," I replied. "Bit of a pointless day, actually."

Edward chuckled. "Don't worry Leah. We'll find you something."

XxXxXxX

We returned to the house in Edward's shiny silver Volvo. He smirked when I complimented the 'new car smell' and the way it complimented the 'Edward' smell.

Edward rolled down my window via the automatic controls when we saw Emmett bouncing up and down in enthusiasm on the drive. Emmett immediately appeared at my window, stuck his head through and unbuckled my seatbelt. Then, he pulled me out of the car through the window and threw me up in the air in enthusiasm.

"How did it go!" he asked as he caught me. I winced as I fell back into his arms; Emmett was harder than a rock.

"Well," I replied as Emmett was preparing to throw me up again. "Please don't do that again," I added, jumping from his arms and landing on the ground.

"But Alice said you didn't get a job," Emmett sounded confused and slightly… disappointed?

"I didn't," I replied.

He beamed.

"Good! Cause I've found the perfect job for you little sis! Come on," he grabbed my arm and proceeded to pull me through the house at vampire speed. My head was spinning when we finally stopped in Emmett and Rosalie's room.

"Look!" he gestured enthusiastically to the MacBook on his bed. On the screen, there was a picture.

_Lahote's Mechanics _

I read down the description. It was looking for people with good car skills, and people skills to help sell and repair cars. There were two spaces open, and the owner of the Mechanics was asking for anybody interested to e-mail them.

"It looks good Em," I told him honestly, looking at the monthly pay check. It was decent, definitely decent for a girl with no college degrees and whatnot. They weren't even asking for degrees either; just good people skills and car skills.

"I might contact them," I said, opening a new window and signing into my e-mail. I typed in the Mechanic's e-mail address at the top and began to compose my message.

It was only after I'd sent the message that I realised where I recognised the name Lahote from.

Lahote.

_Paul Lahote. _

XxXxXxX

**A.N: Hope it's long enough for your tastes! Thanks for reading? **

**Review, maybe? After such a long chapter?**

**PS: IF YOU SKIPPED THE AN AT THE TOP, PLEASE GO AND READ IT! IT WON'T TAKE A MINUTE OF YOUR TIME. **


	23. Lahote's Mechanics

**A.N: WOOP! THANKING YOU! **

**I got so many reviews - 19, would you believe! - that I was inspired to write this up! Bit shorter than the last one, not by too much! Hope it satisfies you; review again! I'm about to go and write up the next chappie! **

**Disclaimer: Don't own Twilight, just this plotline. RAWR. **

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><p>Chapter 23 – Lahote's Mechanics<p>

"Are you sure you want to go through with this?" Edward asked me as I slammed my phone down onto the desk, fury burning in my chest as I closed my eyes and breathed slowly, trying to regain some of my composure. It was more than a little embarrassing, that Paul could get to me so easily.

Edward was eyeing me with concern, eyes golden now. He'd gone hunting as soon as we'd returned from job hunting; apparently he was thirstier than I first realised. Taking him into the middle of Forks probably wasn't the best idea.

"Nope," I replied honestly, glaring at the phone.

Paul had called me about my e-mail; he was an absolute nightmare to speak to. Rude, arrogant and very bossy. He would be a nightmare to work for, too. I could just imagine him, taunting me and enjoying the fact that I couldn't retaliate because I worked for him, and arguing would only result in me loosing my job.

"You don't have to work for him," Edward said as I slipped my phone into my pocket, closed the lid of the MacBook and leaned back on Edward's bed, enjoying the feel of his fuzzy blankets on my skin. "He seems to enjoy antagonizing you. Even his mind is a slightly twisted place to be."

"You were eavesdropping," I said angrily. "Edward."

"I wanted to know what he thought of you," Edward replied. "As I said before, he has a very twisted mind. He seems to be looking forward to your first day on Tuesday, because he wants to antagonize you. That's part of the reason why he took you on."

"Great," I groaned angrily. "Remind me why I took this job, again?"

Edward laughed. "You told me not to trespass in your mind, Leah."

I let out a human approximation of a growl at his words, rolled over onto my stomach and pressed my face into his pillows.

XxXxXxX

I was surprised that Paul had managed to get such a large, well looked after place for him to start his own business. The building was painted blue on the outside, with white lettering reading 'Lahote's Mechanics' at the top of the building. The windows were clear, revealing the new cars inside the building. Grey shutters were folded back at either side of the windows for security at night.

I walked up to the door, surprised again when I realised that they were automatic. I stepped into the building, surprised yet again at the sudden blast of heat that came from the vents either side of the door. So far, I was pretty damn impressed; not that I was going to admit that to Paul, of course.

"You like it?" Paul asked. He was sat in a leather armchair just off to the side, in front of his state of the art computer. He'd worn a suit, god knows why, which was obviously meant for weddings and formal occasions, not work. He pulled the suit jacket off as he stood up, made his way towards me.

"How did you manage to get such a nice place?" the words slipped out before I could even stop them. I instantly held my breath, angry at myself for being so concerned about working for Paul Lahote, the world's biggest dickhead.

"Don't be cheeky to your new boss," Paul replied, smirking in a joking way. I resisted the urge that was overtaking me; the urge to try and smash his nose into his brain, see whether or not it would actually kill him.

"So you're considering taking me on, then?" I asked, trying to get down to business and ignore the fact that I really hated Paul.

"It depends. I think a trial is in order, unpaid," he held up a hand when I tried to protest. I ground my teeth in frustration, feeling my jaw click under the strain. "If you do well, and I decide to take you on, you will be paid for the trial. If you do badly, no job and no pay. Capiche?"

"Okay," I replied grudgingly.

Paul beamed, did a couple of fancy steps before making his way towards the office.

"Come on slow poke, I need to show you what's required of workers here," Paul said, gesturing towards the office.

With a very loud sigh, I followed him towards the office. I vaguely wondered if it was even worth it, to be bossed about by Paul.

XxXxXxX

After a very long and irritating tour around the shop, I knew what was required of me when I arrived for my first day on Tuesday. I managed to escape without Paul making any rude comments, climbed into Edward's shiny silver Volvo and gunned the engine. The windshield wipers began to swipe back for forth rapidly against the heavy rain. Edward had insisted that I take his car, because he didn't want me to get wet or to make a bad first impression. I didn't protest too much; it was very cold, and I would've been cold if I went on my Ducati. Plus, it would've gotten the leather seat wet.

I turned down the Cullen's gravelly lane, turned up the CD player. I was half amused by the fact that Edward was listening to Jimi Hendrix; I had a shrewd suspicion that it was because I'd bought him a Jimi Hendrix original.

"How did it go?" Edward greeted me as I climbed out of his car. I didn't answer, locked the car and threw him his car keys. He caught them without looking, eyes fixated on my own.

"Well?" he prodded, slipping the keys into his pocket and gesturing towards the house. I walked towards the entrance, catching the scent of Esme's cookies. I smiled at the thought; Esme baked for the children at the hospital, sent the food that she made with Carlisle whenever he was on his shift.

"I got the job," I said.

Edward smiled; the expression was twisted. I recognised why at once, smiled wryly to myself.

"You eavesdropped," it wasn't a question.

"What else is there to do?" he replied.

"You have no respect for my privacy," I snapped.

"If you had specifically told me not to eavesdrop, I wouldn't have. However, it's very hard not to hear your mental voice," he said. I balled my hands into fists.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked angrily.

"I mean, your voice is very potent to me. Like the opposite of Bella Swan's. I couldn't hear her mind, yours is very clear to me," he said. It sounded a little better than telling me I had a noisy head, but not much.

"How much did you hear?" I asked curiously.

No response.

"That means everything, doesn't it?" I chuckled.

Again, he chose not to answer as we made our way into the lounge and sat down on the couch side by side. Emmett was in the armchair, moving at odd moments, fully focused on his Zombie game. He hadn't even acknowledged us.

"Is he normally such an arrogant… twat?" he asked.

I'd never heard Edward swear. It sounded odd, he was normally so eloquent with his words, swearing was not Edward in the slightest. His mouth quirked up at the corner as he listened to my train of thoughts.

"There really isn't another word to describe his mind in the English language," he admitted. "Or rather, the words that describe him better are very vehement curses."

I chuckled again.

"Yes," I replied. "Why else do you think I was so unwilling to take a job working for him?"

Edward's expression twisted from a mixture of disgust and amusement to a serious one. He appraised me warily, eyes moving all over my body for a moment.

"You don't have to work for him," Edward said.

"Ugh, yes Edward, I know I don't, but I want to! Besides, I like working with cars, it pays well and it's not very far from here," I snarled angrily.

Edward was silent.

Emmett finally looked up from his game, took in the two of us, silent and facing away from one another, and smirked broadly.

"Lovers' quarrel?" he asked.

"Shut up Emmett," Edward snarled, just as I said:

"Shut the fuck up."

We both smirked at one another; Emmett pouted.

"Hi Leah!" Alice bounded into the room, Jasper hovering behind her. He was the only member of the Cullen family who hadn't spoken to me properly; we'd have to have some bonding time.

"Hi Ali," I said, smiling as she picked up Emmett by his collar and dumped him on the ground, sitting down in his armchair.

"How did it go?" she asked.

"Like you need to ask," I grinned.

"I do, actually," Alice replied. "I can't see the wolves…"

Something had apparently clicked into place in her mind. Her eyes suddenly seemed very distant, as if she was seeing something other than the light, airy Cullen lounge. Edward frowned, a low noise of surprise coming from him. That was odd in itself; nothing surprised the mind reader.

"Why can I see you?" Alice asked, focusing her eyes on me, as if she was staring straight through me.

"What are you talking about Ali?" I replied, hoping I didn't look gormless in my confusion.

"Why can I see you, when I can't see the other wolves?" she asked, staring at me with renewed intensity. "I don't understand… when I focus on Seth, I see nothing. With Paul, nothing, Sam Uley, nothing! But when I focus on you, I see you ten, twenty years into the future… why is that?"

"Maybe it's because I live with you guys," I replied, finally getting it. "When I'm associated with you… something to do with me and Edward, maybe? We are best friends, maybe we'll just be good friends for ages."

"But this ruins my theory!" Alice sounded cross, jumping up and pacing across the floor. I could easily recognise her as Edward's sister at that moment. "We thought that I could only see things I'd experienced; human and vampire. Why can I see you then?"

"I don't know Ali," I said. "Sorry."

"Maybe it's because Leah's a girl," Edward said. My eyes flashed up to his face; he was obviously trying to communicate something vital with only his eyes. Alice's eyes widened in surprise as she realised what he was trying to say; I felt annoyed at being left out of their conversation so blatantly.

"If you're going to keep things from me, at least try to be polite about it," I huffed angrily.

"My apologies," Edward said.

"Sorry Leah!" Alice chirped.

"Alice," Emmett whined from the ground.

"No Emmett," she replied. "My chair now." She intertwined herself within the chair, hissing possessively at Emmett as she leaned her head over the armchair, closing her eyes and making a purring noise like a cat.

Emmett growled. Alice's eyes snapped open; she crouched into a defensive position from in her chair. Emmett mirrored her movements and the two glared and snarled at one another for a second, before Alice mock yawned and proceeded to curl up in her chair, still watching Emmett with wide golden eyes.

"You guys are so weird," I said, chuckling to myself. Both Emmett and Alice turned towards me, growling at the same time.

"I would run," Edward murmured from behind me.

I took Edward's advice; set off running to the backdoor.

XxXxXxX

When Carlisle returned from his shift at the hospital, the subject of Alice's visions and her ability to see me came to the fore once again. Carlisle was intrigued, of course; his curious nature made sure of that. He conducted a few brief tests with Alice and I, before recording the results in writing and on his MacBook. Then, he disappeared into his study and didn't reappear for several hours.

"I should probably get some rest," I admitted, looking at the Cullen 'kids' sat in a loose circle in the lounge. Edward was reading, enjoying the tranquillity of the room. Emmett was blasting zombies with Jasper. Rosalie and Alice were sat on the couch, both poring over a fashion magazine.

"Night Leah."

"See you tomorrow."

"I replaced your shampoo with green hair dye."

"Don't wear your sweats, wear the satin pyjamas."

"Sleep well."

I smiled; they, none of them, had looked up from what they were doing. As I thought that, though, Edward looked up, a very cheeky smile on his face as he looked at me from behind his book.

I changed quickly, showered and brushed my teeth. Then, I climbed into Edward's bed, snuggling down underneath the thick golden bedspread.

A couple of minutes later, the door opened and through the darkness I could see Edward's figure making his way into the room. A second later, the lights were turned on, and Edward was smirking at me from the chair at his desk.

"Wuthering Heights?" I asked curiously, eyebrows raised.

"You noticed," he replied.

"Of course."

A pause.

"Why?" I asked. "Surely it's a bit of a girly book for you."

"Bella liked it," Edward admitted.

Silence filled the room. I contemplated this; I understood that Edward admired Bella's intellectual abilities, loved her at a point. Still, I frowned. There was another reason other than Bella's liking of the book. He was keeping it from me though, closed up expression as he stared at the floor. My frown deepened.

"She really hurt you." The words slipped from my mouth before I could stop them.

Edward nodded, jaw clenched.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be," he replied. "I have a best friend now," he examined me with a scrutiny, eyes twinkling in amusement. "Granted, she is frequently rude, bossy, has no regards about my feelings…" I smirked in return, knowing he was just joking.

His expression shifted, became serious again.

"But I don't think I'd give her up for anything now."

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><p>REVIEW - SEE, IT REALLY WORKS!<p> 


	24. First Day

**A.N: Another one! Please review – I got 19 for the chapter before last, nine for the last one. Can we have a few more this time, please! Thanks for reading, hope this suits you all! **

**Also, people have been asking about leward and the kiss – well, I can definitely say something will happen very soon! That's all you're getting for now. Besides, Leah's feelings are developing : ) **

**Thanks to my anonymous reviewers as always – all of my reviewers, actually. I can't reply to the anonymous ones! This is dedicated to all of yous! **

**Review? **

Chapter 24 – First day

"_You're late for work, you're late for work, you're late for work…" _

Edward's deep, throaty voice resonated throughout my bedroom, causing my eyes to fly wide open in surprise, as if expecting to see him looming over me. But he wasn't, of course. I'd re-recorded my alarm clock wake up tone, demanded that Edward recorded some silly greeting that would wake me up.

Of course, he'd not done the silly thing, but he'd certainly done the greeting. I wasn't sure how my phone had managed to record his voice so well, but it sounded as if he was actually in the room with me, no feedback present on the recording at all.

My phone buzzed, the alarm clock stopped shouting at me. On the screen, there was a text from Edward.

_Sender: Edward_

_ Message: You really will be late for work if you don't hurry up. E X _

I sniggered, jumped out of bed and made my way towards the bathroom. I cut my shower short, blow dried my hair quickly; it was still damp at the roots as I rushed towards the stairs, stumbled and proceeded to fall down the stairs. Somehow, miraculously, I managed to land on my feet at the bottom.

"You're late for work," Seth greeted as I ran into the kitchen. He was making pancakes on the stove, flipping them every so often. There was a plate beside him. On it, there were three pancakes stacked on top of each other. I eyed them hungrily, feeling my stomach growl at the scent.

"Just take them!" he laughed, gesturing for me to grab the plate. I grinned, took all three pancakes and stuffed them into my mouth. Then, I grabbed my Ducati keys from the pot on the kitchen island and ran out of the house, calling a muffled 'Bye!' to Seth as I raced towards the garage.

I was only five minutes late which was a lot better than it would have been. But apparently it wasn't good enough for Paul, who was sat at the front desk, dressed in his completely unsuitable tuxedo. A bow tie was pulled around his neck. Ridiculous was an understatement.

"You're late," he announced.

I resisted the urge to say 'No shit, Sherlock' or something along those lines. For the moment, Paul was my boss. I couldn't cheek him unless I wanted to get fired or made to do some hideously disgusting job. I was seriously regretting taking this job.

"My apologies," I replied, reminding myself of Edward in many ways. Apparently it reminded Paul of the Cullens, too.

"No bloodsuckers dropping you off?" he asked.

"This place is over the treaty line," I replied, grinding my teeth as I took off my leather jacket and folded it over my arm. "Obviously they wouldn't drop me off."

"I was hopeful," Paul said wistfully. "It's so dull around here when there are no leeches to fight."

He was trying to wind me up, trying to make me crack and scream at him. I folded my arms a little tighter, ground my teeth harder in frustration. Paul could test the patience of a saint.

"I'll have to tell them about your boredom," I said. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get ready for the shop's opening."

"Wait a minute," Paul held up a hand. "You do understand that if you cheek any of the customers in any way, they will report to me and I will not take you on."

"I'll bear that in mind," I replied.

"I'll bear that in mind sir," he told me.

"Yes. Sir."

How the fuck was I going to manage working for such a complete and utter prick? I let out a small snarl of rage as I disappeared into the back office to put my coat away.

XxXxXxX

"Is it too late to quit?" I whispered down the phone line in my break. It was half past eleven – I had one hour until my lunch break, seven hours until the day was over. I wasn't sure I could take it – Paul had taken to torturing me when there weren't any customers in the building. He asked me to refill the cars oil and screen-wash. My face was smeared with oil, my hands reeked of screen-wash.

"I'll come and get you," Edward replied at once.

"Don't be stupid Ed, you'd start a war," I snapped.

"You'd be worth it," he told me, as if it was obvious. I smiled at his words.

"I've got to go," I said. Paul had noticed me; he was tapping on his watch and tutting quietly as he shook his head. If I lasted the day, I was going to ring Edward and demand that he brought me Ben and Jerry's – for strength, of course.

XxXxXxX

At lunch, I escaped the confines of Lahote's Mechanics. I was certain that I wouldn't last longer than a week working for such a complete and utter dick. I had an hour and a half for my lunch break – fifteen minutes to get to McDonalds in Forks, fifteen minutes back, and an hour to just relax and enjoy my time away from Paul the Bastard.

I managed to park on the High-Street, just outside McDonalds. I ran into the restaurant – it was raining heavily.

"Hello, may I take your order?"

The man at the front counter looked up at me, and fear ran through his eyes as he looked at me. I bit back a smirk as I recognised 'Flake-Guy' as Emmett had so eloquently labelled him. Apparently I'd hurt him more than I actually intended to. His hands had flown down to protect his privates.

"Big Mac and a large fries please," I replied, fishing in my pocket. I pulled out ten dollars, handed it to the man. His hand was shaking ever so slightly as he took the money from me. No ordinary human would've noticed the slight tremors that shook his body.

I waited for my order, turning around to try and spot a table. They all seemed to be occupied by someone – giggling girls, rambunctious boys. There was one table, but a man with spiked up ginger hair, black shades and a black leather jacket was sat there. His eyes met mine, a smile pulled up the left side of his mouth.

Edward.

He gestured at the seat opposite him with his head. I took the food from 'Flake-Guy' and made a beeline towards his table. Once there, I slipped the food down onto the polished surface and slid into the booth, opposite Edward.

"Normally I would demand to know what you're doing here," I began. "But I just want to say that you look damned hot in that outfit, Mr Cullen," I waggled my eyebrows at him suggestively.

Edward laughed; the sound was strained, wrong somehow.

"What's up?" I asked.

"Nothing," he replied, too fast.

"Incorrect. Let's try again. What's wrong?" I wasn't going to let it go.

"How was work?"

"Manageable," I replied, thinking back on my day. "Paul's a bastard. I'm not going to last a week working for him. How's your day been?"

"It's been good. Emmett says it's boring without you," Edward replied.

"Is he wrong?" I asked, smirking.

He paused. "No, I suppose not."

I smiled as if I'd won, tucked into my food.

"So, what are you doing here?" I asked curiously, stuffing another chip into my mouth and raising my eyebrows at Edward.

"Alice had a vision. I thought you'd planned for her to see that?" he asked curiously, tilting his head to one side like a puppy.

"Well, yeah I did," I grinned. I'd made the decision to go to McDonalds for lunch hours ago, assuming that Alice would see it. Sure enough, she had, and in turn, so had Edward – thus meaning that he would meet me here. I loved having a psychic pixie as my best friend's sister.

"She also said that work was _un_manageable," Edward said.

"She's not wrong," I replied, running the hand that wasn't covered in salt through my hair. "Paul is a bastard. I'm sure that I've said this to you before. He's just continually being an arse about stuff. I don't mind taking orders from him," I made a face, "but I do mind him being a dickhead about it."

"I can imagine," Edward said. "Don't worry, you can vent your anger and frustration on Emmett later."

"Can I?" I asked, surprised.

"I was under the impression that you'd be returning to the 'Cullen Household' – as you refer to it mentally – after your shift," he said, sounding unsure. "Of course, if you aren't, that's fine. I'll play Guitar Hero with him instead."

I chuckled. "Of course I'll be there – if I'm still welcome."

Edward smirked. "Do I need to reply to that?"

I grinned.

XxXxXxX

Paul was a nightmare for the rest of the day – as predicted by Alice, who had sent me a smug little text just after my lunch with Edward. It had only said 'the worst is yet to come.' She was right, of course. There were two very awkward customers that I had to deal with, as well as Paul's continual tutting and marking things down on his pad of paper.

I pulled onto the Cullen's Drive, enjoying the sound of the Ducati's rumbling engine. The way it snarled when you accelerated reminded me of a wolf ready to attack.

I managed to get onto the front porch before the door was opened and Emmett flew out at top speed, grabbed me like a rugby ball and ran me back into the house. He set me down on the couch and proceeded to do a silly dance, as if he'd just scored a touchdown.

"Where's Eddiekins?" I asked, smirking as Emmett danced around the room. He got on the floor and proceeded to break dance, before standing back up again and beaming as if he'd just won the Olympics or something.

"Upstairs," Emmett replied immediately. "Reading Wuthering Heights still. I don't know why he bothers. It's not really his kind of book."

He frowned, looked off into space. A second later, his expression brightened and before I knew what had happened, he was running me up the stairs, setting me down just outside Edward's room.

"Come in," Edward called.

Emmett winked at me, disappeared in a blur of speed. I opened Edward's door, peeking into the room.

He was seated on his bed, Jim Hendrix original on his knee. His left hand was wrapped around the neck – I'd never even noticed that Edward was left handed before. I frowned, my expression transforming into a wide smile as Edward performed a very complicated guitar riff and winked at me.

"I thought you were reading Wuthering Heights?" I asked.

"I took your advice," he replied. "Besides, Emmett is quite right. The book definitely isn't going to be one of my favourites."

"Hmm. How was your day?" I asked, changing the subject. I was quite glad he'd given up on the book – anything that linked him to Bitchella made me uncomfortable. I didn't like that even now, after such a long time, she still had a hold on him.

"Long," he replied.

"For me as well," I admitted.

Edward smirked. "No kidding. I heard your mental pleas for somebody to come and save you. I was sorely tempted, I'll be honest."

I grinned in response. "Paul is a nightmare."

"You don't –"

"Have to work for him," I finished. "I know. But it's a good pay, and I admit that I feel guilty taking your money."

"There's no need to."

"I know," I replied. "Money isn't an essential for you – you've been saving for the last three centuries or whatever. But it still makes me feel a little uncomfortable taking your money when I'm not desperate and I actually have a job."

Edward nodded.

"But if you ever –"

"Need our financial aid, yes, I'll come to you," I smirked. He'd said this to me more times than I cared to remember. "Don't worry Ed. If I end up homeless I'll steal your bed for the night."

We both smiled.

"Are you guys ready to play Guitar Hero yet?" Emmett called through the door. Apparently he'd been there the whole time.

Edward grinned. "We'll be there in a moment."

**A.N: 19 reviews for the chapter before last, 9 for the last one… something inbetween this time? Maybe fourteen? This is the third day in a row! **

**So, did anybody get the Eclipse reference? (TELL ME IN REVIEWS)**

**Soap **


	25. Shopping With Alice

**A.N: I know, I broke mY dailyupdating streak. But you guys seriously ended to review more. In the next two chapters I am aiming to get to three hundred reviews. If we don't I'll be a sad puppy which equals less frequent updating. **

**I took some of your romance requests into mind - hope this pleases you enough to leave a nice review for soapy :) **

**Aim- 13 reviews! **

**Onwards! **

Chapter 25 – Shopping with Alice

I wasn't entirely sure how I'd ended up agreeing to go shopping with Alice, the perfect definition of a shopaholic. The idea of going shopping with her before today was all but terrifying – of course, it wasn't quite as bad knowing that Edward would be subjected to the torture alongside me. But I was still a little… nervous?

A cold hand on my arm caused my eyes to fly open in surprise. I'd been lying in my bed with my eyes squeezed tightly closed; silently praying that Alice would forget about my promise and allow me to enjoy my Saturday morning in peace.

"Leah!" Alice called, far too chirpy for eight o'clock on a Saturday morning. I groaned in response, tried to turn over and bury my head underneath the pillows.

"I don't think she wants to wake up," I heard Edward say from the doorway, a low chuckle meeting my ears.

"Well she's going to have to. She promised that she'd come shopping with me today," Alice replied, sounding grumpy.

A second later, the duvet was pulled back from my body, a wave of freezing air meeting my naturally hot skin. Goosebumps erupted along my arms and back; I curled myself into a ball, trying to find some warmth.

Edward's laughter seemed very loud.

"Come on now Leah, it's not that bad," he whispered. I felt his cool breath on my ear, causing more goosebumps to appear on my torso. I let out a growl as he laughed louder, squeezed my eyes tighter.

"You promised," a small voice said. I could hear the pout in Alice's voice, and though it didn't work on me, I sighed in defeat.

In spite of it all, I had promised Alice that I'd go shopping with her today. And I wasn't going to break my promise because it was a little earlier than I'd expected. Granted, I didn't even want to go shopping, but Alice was obviously desperate to.

"Alright, I'm up," I groaned, my voice thick with sleep. I pulled myself up, grabbed the duvet and wrenched it from Edward's grip. He let go immediately to stop the fabric tearing.

Edward smirked at me, obviously noticing the bags under my eyes and enjoying the grumpy expression on my face.

"I'll get you a cuppa!" Alice called, skipping out of the room. She was more than thrilled about our shopping trip.

"You don't have bags under your eyes," Edward said. I raised my eyebrows at him sceptically. "I don't lie to you, Ms. Clearwater. You do have morning breath, yes. But you don't have bags under your eyes. Actually, considering it's so early on a Saturday, you look quite good."

I rolled my eyes at Edward's equivalent of a compliment. He grinned wryly at my thought.

"When did you stop caring about me reading your mind?" Edward asked curiously. "I didn't actually notice."

I shrugged. "I guess you can't tune it out. I accept that."

"What if I was listening to you on purpose?" he arched an eyebrow curiously.

"Then you'd be a dickhead."

We both laughed, silence filled the room. Edward's smile seemed to drop from his face as he heard somebody's thoughts. His eyes became incredibly pained and he looked at me with fear in his eyes, mouthing 'help!' desperately.

I was about to ask what was wrong when the door burst open and Alice rushed over to me, placed down the cup of tea on the nightstand. It was filled to the brim, yet despite her speed not a droplet of the liquid had left the cup. I was silently impressed.

"Edward! We need somebody to hold our clothes while we're trying things on. Congratulations, you're coming shopping with us," Alice said in a rush, smiling broadly as she finished her sentence. "Leah, when you're dressed, I'll meet you downstairs."

"Alice –"

"I replaced the green hair dye with actual shampoo," Alice added.

Edward opened his mouth, trying to speak.

"Alice –"

"Esme's making pancakes, see you downstairs!" she waved an exited the room quickly. I was impressed at her tactics for ignoring Edward. He stuck his tongue out like a child when I thought this.

"Looks like you're the official bag carrier," I smirked. "See you downstairs, bag boy."

I moved towards the bathroom quickly, grabbing my clothes from the nightstand and shutting the door behind me before Edward could say another word.

XxXxXxX

I found my mood deteriorating dramatically as I walked towards the kitchen. My favourite jeans had mysteriously vanished the day before, and I'd found them at the bottom of my wardrobe, torn to bits. Apparently somebody had been hacking away at them with a pair of scissors.

Oh, and I was going shopping today.

I walked into the kitchen, took in the scene. Emmett was sat on one of the bar stools behind the kitchen island. Esme was standing before the oven, holding a frying pan in one hand. I could smell the pancakes from the bathroom – they were going to taste delicious.

"Morning dear," Esme said, flipping the pancakes perfectly. She caught them with the frying pan, placed them back on the hob.

"Morning Esme," I replied, taking a seat at the island beside Emmett. He was examining a Rubix Cube, brow scrunched in thought as he turned it in his hands, apparently trying to work out the quickest solution.

"Morning Emmy," I said.

"Hi Leah," he smiled goofily, looking up from his Rubix Cube for a second before he returned his attention to it, turning it in his hands again.

"How's the Rubix Cube going?" I asked curiously.

"Okay," he replied.

"Really?" I asked sceptically. The thing was nowhere near completed – it didn't look as if he'd turned it at all.

"No," he sighed grudgingly. I sniggered, highly amused at the expression on his face. He managed to look like a pouting, whining child with no effort at all.

"Stop laughing at me!" he whined, only adding to the impression. "It's not my fault that my mind isn't logical. Don't be a meanie."

I stopped laughing as Esme placed a plate stacked with pancakes before me. I licked my lips, dug into the food with enthusiasm.

"So," the Rubix Cube had apparently disappeared. "You're going shopping with Alice today."

"Yep," I replied.

"You gonna get lots of dresses to impress Eddie Boy?" he asked. "Or maybe something else…"

I knew what he was suggesting without the waggling of his eyebrows, the sly wink. He was such a pervert.

"Maybe something to really get Eddie excited…"

I chewed my pancake hard, swallowed painfully. Trying to ignore Emmett's taunting was impossible.

"Maybe something from a certain shop…" he trailed off again, obviously baiting.

I closed my eyes, ground my teeth.

"Lingerie."

The urge to hit him was almost unstoppable. I ground my teeth, fought to prevent myself phasing out of anger. That hadn't happened to me since my first month as a wolf – I wasn't going to break that now.

Edward entered the room, mouth a thin line. He walked up to Emmett – calmly – and proceeded to hit him across the face with all the force he could. Emmett's head flew back, the sound of the blow echoing around the room. I heard a cracking sound – his neck under the strain. Obviously it wouldn't kill him, being hit in the face. But it probably wasn't exactly a nice sensation either.

"Hey!" Emmett said angrily, adjusting his head back into place. I repressed a shudder at the sight.

"Thanks Eddie," I told him.

"It wasn't for you," he replied. "Your mind has been screaming at me for the past thirty seconds to hit him in the face. It was more for my own relief than for yours."

I stood up, proceeded to hit Edward in the face as a thanks.

He winced, rubbed his jaw and hastily retreated from the room. Esme smirked from where she was scrubbing the frying pan, smiled at me and resumed her work. She didn't normally appreciate violence between her children – which was why I didn't like to hit Emmett in her presence – but apparently she was going to let this one slide.

Alice bounced into the room eagerly, a beaming smile plastered onto her face. She skipped to the kitchen's island, sat down beside me and then began to rant about our shopping trip.

"…We're going to get new clothes, underwear, dresses…"

"…Maybe some makeup…"

"…It's going to be so much fun!" she gushed.

I was beginning to regret my promise about going shopping with her.

XxXxXxX

"I'm hungry," I whispered, my stomach gurgling. It was half twelve – my usual lunch time.

"She won't let you leave," Edward whispered in response.

"I know," I replied, again whispering.

"Leah!" Alice sang from somewhere in front of us. She appeared in front of us, shoved a pile of clothing into my hands. "Go and try these on, quickly!"

"Can't you already see the outcome?" I asked wearily.

"Yup! But it's no fun to just buy things," she replied cheerfully, pushing me in the direction of the changing rooms. She shoved me into one of the stalls, pulled the curtain. I heard her light footsteps retreating back into the shop.

"Are you dressed?" a voice hissed. Edward, of course.

"Yes," I replied, also in a whisper.

The curtain was hastily drawn back. Edward smiled at me, eyes twinkling in amusement. He took the clothes that had been loaded into my arms, placed them on the bench at the back of the changing room. Then, he winked at me.

He looked ridiculous with all the bags hanging from his arms.

"Run," he whispered.

We tiptoed quickly across the shop, both of us looking around warily, half expecting Alice to jump out of nowhere and drag us both back to the changing rooms.

"Leah!" I heard her call from the direction of the changing rooms.

"Shit," I whispered, speeding up.

"She's coming," Edward hissed. He looked around frantically, before grabbing my hand with his own stone cold one, gently squeezing it before taking off at top speed. My legs fell into a pattern with his own, we sprinted across the shop and out of the door.

The adrenaline rush was still pulsing through my body as we vacated the shop. The mall was busy, filled with people. We hastily dived into the crowd and began to blend in, making our way towards the food court in the centre of the mall.

It was only at this point that I really realised. Edward's cool hand was still clutching mine, as if I was supporting him in some way. His grip was firm, not tight enough to crush fingers, but tight enough to feel like he didn't fear breaking me.

The mixture of our temperature, cold meets hot, fire meets ice, seemed almost unnatural. Yet it was strangely right – the sensation of him, the feel of his cool yet somehow soft skin.

"You have nice skin," I almost clapped a hand to my mouth when I blurted this out.

"Thank you," Edward replied, smirking. "I thought the temperature would repulse you."

"No," I replied. I wasn't sure what else to say.

A pause. Our hands remained intertwined.

"We should hold hands more," Edward told me.

"Maybe," I agreed lightly.

We walked into the food court together, still holding hands. It seemed that our personal boundaries had suddenly collapsed a little more – we were comfortable with physical contact now.

"McDonalds?" Edward asked of me.

"I don't know," I replied hesitantly. I didn't want to make a habit of eating from McDonalds. Their food wasn't exactly good for you.

"Well, what about there?" he asked, nodding his head towards another restaurant. Frankie and Bennie's, the sign read. It seemed to be a formal restaurant, yet relaxed at the same time. I nodded enthusiastically upon smelling the pizza.

Edward beamed.

We marched into the restaurant, still holding hands. The feel of his hand was unfamiliar, a little uncomfortable at first. Now, though, I was enjoying the cool temperature. I ran my thumb over the back of his hand gently, surprised at the texture. It was smooth, incredibly so – not boasting sandstone like quality as I'd always imagined. I expected vampires to have strong skin, yes, but with a grainy, dusty feel to them.

"Good evening, sir and madam," the waiter said. He was late twenties with light blonde hair and a friendly smile. "A table for two, is it?"

"Please," Edward replied.

The waiter, whose nametag read 'Jim' took us through the restaurant, right to the very back in a corner booth. The chatter that echoed around us was strangely comforting.

As we approached the table, Edward's grip on my hand vanished – suddenly I was holding nothing but air. The absence of his cool skin was like a bucket of freezing water being thrown in my face.

I sat down first, my back facing the wall. Edward slid into the booth opposite me. The waiter placed down menus in front of us.

"Would sir and madam like to order drinks?" the waiter asked.

"Can I get a water, please," Edward said at once.

"Of course," the waiter replied. "And…"

"Another water, please."

The waiter nodded, hastily disappeared to get us our drinks. Edward smiled at me, quirked an eyebrow.

"What's on your mind, Ed?" I asked curiously. He only ever pulled that expression if he wanted to ask something.

"You… enjoyed? Holding my hand?" he asked, sounding more than just a little confused.

I felt blood rushing to my cheeks.

"I liked the cool temperature. I've been warm for so long now," I said in a rush. I prayed I hadn't answered too quickly.

Edward nodded though, seemed appeased.

"What's going to happen with Alice?" I asked, changing the subject.

Almost immediately after I'd spoken, my phone rang in my pocket. Tensing visibly, I pulled out my phone and looked fearfully at the screen. There was a message from her.

Sender: Alice

Message: I know where you are! You can't hide forever!

A second later, Edward's phone rang. He pulled out the JCB Tough Phone – Emmett's Christmas Present – and looked at the screen.

His face twisted into some unknown emotion. Then, he slipped the phone into his pocket without another word.

"She's found us," we both said at the same time, before smiling widely.

"She'll probably meet us outside. Drag us into Prada, or Gucci or some other hideously expensive designer clothing shop," I mused aloud.

Edward nodded in agreement.

"How long is she planning on keeping us here?" I asked.

"Until the mall closes," Edward replied. "But if you can last two more hours, I'll be able to get you out of here."

I grinned, nodded.

"I guess I'll survive."

The food was lovely. The thin crust pizza was cooked to perfection, and the desert was amazing too. I'd decided that Frankie and Bennie's could rival McDonalds as my favourite restaurant. It was definitely a place to remember.

Edward ate, too. God knows why – he seemed to enjoy the experience, but not the food. Every so often, his emotionless façade would slip and he'd grimace at the 'repulsive' taste of human food.

We left the restaurant after leaving a generous tip for the waiter, both of us discussing Jimi Hendrix animatedly.

My voice died in my throat as I looked straight into the eyes of a very angry little pixie.

XxXxXxX

"That's the one!" Alice exclaimed enthusiastically, pointing wildly at the shirt that I wore. It was white with a skeleton holding an original Gibson Les Paul in its hands. I wasn't sure what to think of her choice in clothing.

"Are you sure?" I asked sceptically.

"Perfectly sure!" Alice beamed. "Don't you like it?"

"I prefer that one," I admitted, pointing towards the rack. It was another white shirt, plainer in colour with large black lettering across the front that read – Bite Me.

Alice grinned.

"Let's get both!" she said enthusiastically, pulling the shirt from the rack. She tossed both clothing items onto Edward, who pouted visibly and glanced obviously at his watch.

It had been one hour and fifty three minutes since our meal in Frankie and Bennie's; which meant that I only had to endure Alice's hyperactive tendencies for seven more minutes.

"Why don't we get you a dress?" Alice seemed to be speaking to herself. She beamed widely, grabbed my arm. "Come on Leah!"

She pulled me through the shop to the very back. It was badly lit, apparently not a very popular section. I immediately knew why when I saw one of the price tags on the dresses.

"Hmm," Alice mused to herself. "Not green. Or orange, or pink. Blue's unlikely."

She began to dig around in the racks. I glanced at my watch carefully.

Four minutes.

"Leah, do you want to try this one on?" Alice pulled out a short purple dress. It was dark coloured, it'd probably just skim my knees if I tried it on.

I glanced at the watch. Three minutes.

I looked across at Edward, whose head lowered the slightest amount. I smiled at Alice and took the dress from her, moving back into the shop towards the changing rooms.

Another glance at my watch. Two minutes.

I looked at the dress, half longing for it. But I knew if I stayed now, I'd have to stay at the mall for another five hours or so. It wasn't worth it.

One minute.

I gently placed the dress on the closest rack to me, continued walking steadily towards the exit.

The alarm on my watch beeped twice, before shutting off. A second later, my phone rang in my pocket. I pulled it out, read the text quickly.

Sender: Edward

Message: Run.

I moved quickly towards the exit, the door was in sight. I heard a couple of cries of alarm from behind me but I didn't look up, just increased my speed. I heard the sound of Alice's high voice calling both mine and Edward's names. She was close. I ducked down into a rack of clothing, silently prayed she wouldn't notice me.

She went past. I was more than a little shocked – Vampires were supposed to have super enhanced senses.

A cold hand wrapped around my wrist.

The urge to scream was unstoppable – but before I could make a sound a hand was clamped over my mouth and a low throaty voice hissed frantically in my ear.

"It's me! Come on," Edward whispered, taking my hand in his own.

I relaxed almost instantly.

"Where is she?" I hissed.

Edward stood up a little, his head popping out of the top of the clothing racks. It was definitely a funny sight to see. A second later, he hastily ducked down.

"She's just left the shop. I made a false trail leading out into the crowd. We need a couple more minutes before we can leave," Edward whispered.

We both relaxed, sighed in relief and leaned into the clothing.

A second later, our peace was shattered as a shop assistant pulled back the clothing rack and saw us both sat there, holding hands.

XxXxXxXxX

"Is it clear?" I whispered, feeling a bit ridiculous as I leaned around Edward's body. We'd both stuck out heads around the shop's door to see whether or not it was an Alice-Free-Zone.

"Yep."

We hesitantly made our way out of the shop.

"Oh shoot," Edward cursed.

"What?" I asked, straining my ears. It was difficult to hear when there was so much background noise. After a couple of moments, I picked out the sound of gentle footsteps that were quickly approaching us.

"Quick," Edward said, grabbing my arm. He proceeded to pull me into the nearest shop, which just happened to be Victoria's Secret.

JEEZ!

Edward ignored the lingerie around us, pulled me further into the shop. I found myself cringing violently as he dragged me past the leopard print thongs.

"What are we doing in here?" I hissed angrily.

"There's a back exit," he replied.

We passed two shop assistants, who averted their eyes hastily when they saw Edward dragging me through the shop. I immediately found myself blushing, wrenched myself from his grip.

"I can walk," I hissed.

"My apologies," Edward continued through the shop at top speed. We finally stopped at a back window. Edward quickly typed in a code on a security pad. A second later, the window – which was actually a door, apparently – slid open.

We slipped out.

"Where now?" I asked, looking around. We were in the parking lot. I could just make out Alice's yellow Porsche in the distance.

"I thought we could go that way," Edward gestured towards the main road.

I rolled my eyes.

"No car?"

"Nope."

"Can't we get a cab?"

"In Seattle?"

"Ugh. Okay."

We began to walk away from the parking lot, towards the main road.

"There's a forest about two miles away. Want to see who can get there first?"

I grinned at Edward. He smirked in return.

"You're on."

XxXxXxXxX

A.N; Now you review! 13 remember!

Much love!


	26. Apologies and Makeovers

**A.N: Another chapter, yeeesss. Lol. Right, I got thirteen reviews. Remember, we are aiming to get to 300 reviews! If we don't, updates will become less frequent. It's not a threat, because I probably won't act on it lol. I have added GothChiq80's idea, so big thank-yous! Hopefully it will meet your standards guys! **

Chapter 26 – Apologies and Makeovers

The atmosphere in the Cullen household had been beyond awkward since our failed shopping trip. Alice, the normally hyperactive bouncy pixie, had been pouting for days now, mooching around the house with big, sad eyes and her lip curled down into her favourite pout.

I blamed Edward, of course. Naturally, he blamed me in return, so the two of us had been ignoring each other for a couple of days. Emmett and Rosalie were amused by our fall out, and Jasper had sided with Alice on the matter. Carlisle and Esme didn't get involved. Wise of them.

On the third day of silence, and Edward not speaking to me, I was starting to loose it. I went home and life returned to normal – or rather, how it was before I'd met the Cullens properly. I was all but driven mad with boredom.

On the fourth day of what I considered to be solitude, I gave up and texted Edward.

_Sender: Leah _

_ Message: It wasn't your fault. Forgive me? L x _

I had never been very good at the whole 'apology' thing.

However, a reply came back almost immediately. I read the text quickly, my eyes blurring.

_Sender: Edward _

_ Message: How could I not forgive you? E x _

A smile formed on my face as I reread the message a couple of times, double checking. Then, I put my phone in my pocket and waited, my eyes glued to my window.

"Is there a reason that you're staring at your window with a massive smile on your face?" Seth asked dryly from the doorway. He was smiling – obviously he already knew the reason.

"Yup," I replied enthusiastically.

"Care to elaborate?" he questioned.

"Not in particular," I smirked.

Seth laughed. "Okay Leah. Have fun tonight."

He disappeared from my room, closed the door behind him gently. I heard his footsteps fade as he entered his own room and shut the door in turn.

"I may have said this many times, but your brother has an exceptionally kind mind," Edward's voice made me jump. I hadn't heard him enter the room.

"Reflexes getting slow in your old age?" he smirked.

"Get lost."

He grinned widely, rather than smirking as he normally did.

"You've stopped swearing," he sounded as if he could sing or something.

"Don't get used to it if you're going to laugh every time I try to insult you without cussing."

Edward chuckled, moved towards me and sat beside me on my bed. His eyes moved around the room at top speed, noticing every little detail before he smiled at me – his eyes gleamed. I wondered if he'd missed my company just as I'd missed his.

"Well that would be telling," he replied to my thoughts, smirking.

His expression suddenly became serious, his eyes filled with sincerity as he looked me in the eye.

"Yes I did."

We both smiled again. I was sorely tempted to reach for his hand, say that I'd burnt it on the stove or something.

"Of course, you could just ask to hold my hand," Edward laughed.

I rolled my eyes. "You have cool skin."

"Sure," he laughed.

"That's the only reason," I replied defensively.

"Are you sure you're not just turned on by my beauty?" he mock posed, still teasing.

"Shut up."

"Am I testing your patience?"

"Don't make me swear at you," I snapped irritably. Edward laughed – the sound was light and carefree, echoing around my room. I enjoyed the peaceful feeling that the sound brought.

Silence filled the room again. A second later, Edward's cold hand wrapped around my own. I silently exhaled, enjoying the cold perhaps more than I should have.

"How's Alice?" I asked, thinking back to the shopping trip.

"Upset."

"Of course," I murmured. "She really took it personally, didn't she?"

"Yep. Shopping is very close to Alice's heart, you know. She considers it her second gift," Edward smirked at the thought, mouth twisting upwards at one side.

"Should I apologise?" I asked.

"Maybe we should both apologise," Edward replied. His brow creased in thought.

"Maybe," I said.

We both thought about it for a moment, before I groaned aloud.

"Ugh! She'll demand to take me shopping again for a full nine till five day! Dammit!" Edward smirked at my exclamation. "And you're coming too buddy. If I have to suffer, so do you!"

Our phones buzzed in sink, stopping Edward from replying. I looked down at my phone, read the text.

_Sender: Alice _

_ Message: I have the perfect apology that does not involve shopping. Interested? _

"What does that mean?" I asked, sounding half fearful as I showed the phone to Edward. His brow creased and a second later he looked at me with wild eyes.

My phone buzzed again.

_Sender: Alice _

_ Message: If you come to the house now, it'll be finished by five o'clock this afternoon. _

"Sometimes I really hate your sister," I sighed angrily, grabbing at my hair. Edward's hands formed shackles around my wrists from behind. He managed to appear in front of me without releasing my hands, a serious expression on his face.

"Don't take this out on your hair," he told me firmly. I laughed at his words.

"Should I go?" I asked, staring at my phone as if it had injured me in some way. I didn't want to go, and under normal circumstances my answer would be 'no' in a heartbeat. But Alice was angry with me, and I needed to make her forgive me.

"That depends," Edward replied, deep in thought as always. His eyes became mischievous as he looked back up at me. "How much do you value your life?"

XxXxXxX

"Hold still!" Alice exclaimed angrily as she continued to pull and tease my hair. Annoyance radiated through me, my temper was difficult to control, but I managed to comply and sit still on the little buffet she'd forced me to sit on.

Apparently I was the only person being punished for mine and Edward's running away at the mall. He was downstairs with Emmett playing his new Zombie Attack game or whatever it was.

And I was upstairs, forced to have a makeover.

"Your hair's nearly done," Alice squealed. She had already made up my face, tried several different blushers and eye shadows. She wasn't making a mask, she was just 'accenting' what I already had, whatever that meant.

"How much longer?" I asked, hoping I didn't sound too desperate to leave.

Apparently it didn't work.

"Its half past four now. We need to finish your hair, get you some new clothes and paint your nails."

"No!" I yelled. "No nails. I can handle the hair, and the clothes. But nails is where I draw the line. Besides, I'm already letting you do much more than usual."

"But Leah," Alice whined.

"No, Alice. Or I'll call this off and you can go back to being moody with me."

"Fine," Alice pouted.

She continued to curl my hair. It hung in ringlets around my face, a very girlie style considering what I normally wore. Alice had tried to get me to wear earrings, but as a werewolf it was impossible to have your ears pierced. I was grateful for that.

"Done!" Alice announced, before grabbing my hand and pulling me into her giant closet. There were stacks of clothes hung on racks, forced into boxes and organised in alphabetical order too. Different shoes and bags hung from different places.

"What about this?" I asked eagerly, pointing to some baggy jeans and a loose cotton T-shirt. Alice shuddered violently and shook her head.

"No way," she said firmly. "I had something a little more ambitious in mind."

"No skirts," I replied with equal firmness.

"I know!" Alice held her hands up as she moved to the large area containing racks of clothing. She disappeared into the clothing. I could hear racks being moved, coat hangers clanking against each other.

"These!" Alice announced proudly. She threw a pair of black skinny jeans from the clothing racks, which I caught. They were my size too, and they felt comfy.

"Okay," I replied. I moved back into Alice's room to change into the bottoms. Then, I re-entered the closet. Alice was still rummaging through her clothes, trying to find the 'perfect' top to wear.

"These!" she threw a pair of black ballet pumps with bows on the front. Although they weren't what I would normally wear, I deemed them 'appropriate' in my head and slipped them on, not wearing any socks.

"And a top," she mused aloud. A second later, the hyperactive pixie appeared before me, looked me up and down. I still wore my favourite band t-shirt. It was comfy.

"Hmm," she said. "Aha!"

She disappeared, rummaging through the racks at top speed. A second later, a white T-shirt was thrown into my hands. It was tight fitting, Abercrombie and Fitch, with writing on the front in black. I eyed it warily, wondering where Alice was going with this.

"Erm…"

"It'll look good! Just trust me, okay?" Alice demanded. "Besides, at least I didn't make you wear a tank top or something. You like shirts like this, right?"

"Yeah, but…" I paused. Why was I fighting her? "Okay."

I went out of the room, slipped the shirt on. It was surprisingly tight fitting, accenting my frame. Although the outfit looked innocent, you could see my bra strap through the clothing. It was incredibly form fitting.

"Perfect!" Alice exclaimed, entering the room. She looked at my feet, examining the shoes.

Then, she disappeared again, only to reappear holding a pair of black converse high tops. She threw them towards me, told me to put them on, and disappeared once again.

"And this!" Alice exclaimed. A black hoodie was thrown towards me, which I caught and pulled on, before looking at myself in the mirror.

The hoodie was gorgeous. It was black fleece, again with white writing across the front when it was zipped. It was lined with white fur, making it very comfortable and very warm. My shirt could be seen as the hoodie wasn't zipped up. The jeans and converse only added to my 'Abercrombie and Fitch model' idea.

My hair – which was longer now – fell past my shoulders by a couple of inches in ringlets.

"I like it," I admitted in a small voice.

"You thought I was going to dress you like a slut, didn't you?" Alice asked wryly.

I nodded sheepishly.

Alice scoffed. "Ye of little faith! C'mon, it looks good doesn't it?"

"It does," I agreed, examining myself.

Alice beamed.

"But that doesn't mean I'll let you do this again," I added firmly. Her smile dropped from her face. She pouted.

A second later, her expression became happy again.

"Let's go show Eddie!"

Alice grabbed my hand, pulled me to the stairs. Then, she proceeded to drag me down the stairs. My hair kind of bounced as I walked. I felt very weird.

She dragged me into the lounge – god that girl was strong – and then seemed to suddenly disappear. Stupid vampire speed.

"How did it go?" Edward asked, without looking up from the screen. The sound of rapid gunshot filled the room, followed by silence. Edward threw his controller onto the couch and turned to look at me.

His eyes practically popped, bugged out of his head. His mouth fell open in surprise as he looked me up and down. A second later, he licked his lips.

"Erm… Alice can't be stopped?" I tried, feeling more than a bit awkward.

I silently prayed I wouldn't blush.

"Wow," he mouthed the word. Emmett turned around, apparently wondering what the fuss was about. In turn, his expression mirrored Edward's.

"Whoa Leah! You look hot!" he said after a moment's silence.

I really had no idea what to say to that.

"Emmett!" Edward hissed, elbowing his brother roughly.

"Oh, sorry! I'll just leave now…" he disappeared from the room.

"So… how was killing zombies?" I tried when he obviously wasn't going to say anything.

"You… you…"

"Has something happened while I was upstairs?" I asked seriously. "What's with all your stuttering Ed!"

"You look beautiful," he said firmly, eyes boring into mine. He wasn't joking.

"I find it hard to believe that a girl can look beautiful in jeans and a t-shirt," I scoffed.

"You always look beautiful," he said. A second later, his eyes bugged out of head again, and he hastily changed his words. "I mean, you always look really nice… I mean, you don't look bad very often… Oh god."

I sniggered.

"So am I the one turning you on now, Mr Cullen?" I asked in a whisper, taunting him as he had taunted me earlier.

"Wouldn't that be telling?" he whispered in response.

"Embarrassed?" I replied, still whispering.

"Of being turned on by a beautiful lady? Of course not," he said quietly.

"What's with all the compliments, Mr Cullen?" I replied.

"I'm in a giving mood," he whispered. We'd somehow moved closer to one another as we taunted each other. Our foreheads were all but touching as we spoke.

"And what are you giving, Mr Cullen?" I murmured.

"BLOW JOBS!" Emmett shouted from the other room. We both literally jumped away from one another at his words. Edward's face went from seriousness to anger in an instant. I just felt a little embarrassed that everyone had heard our taunting.

"Jeez," I muttered angrily.

"Emmett!" Edward yelled.

Somebody smacked Emmett on the upside of the head. There was his usual yell of 'OW' followed by silence.

"Sorry!" he added.

We both rolled our eyes.

"So you think it looks okay?" I asked seriously, turning around slowly.

"As I said before, I think it looks beautiful," Edward replied seriously.

"I thought you were teasing," I said.

"Why would you think that?" he sounded confused.

"Nobody calls me beautiful," I admitted quietly.

"Well, the population of the world must be blind," he replied. "You look stunning."

Silence followed his words. I felt a blush rising from my throat, filling my cheeks with colour. Dammit.

"Thank you," I replied sincerely.

Edward merely smirked in response.

"Of course, I can admit that you don't look like the world's best on a morning when you've just woken up," he added, effectively ruining the rather tense, serious mood.

"Who does?" I asked rhetorically.

"I do," he said.

"You don't sleep. That doesn't count," I rolled my eyes.

"We never specified that sleep was an issue."

"Yes we did!" I replied heatedly, enjoying our bickering once again. "The words 'just woken up' imply that you've been asleep or unconscious. You haven't been unconscious for several decades."

"Are you really going to argue over this?" Alice asked from the doorway. I hadn't heard her approach.

"Maybe," I folded my arms defiantly. Alice rolled her eyes, smiled at our actions. Her eyes met Edward's – they stared a private conversation before she smiled widely at me.

"Emmett wants to play RockBand again," Alice said. "Are you in?"

"Do I have a choice?" I asked wryly.

"Nope," Alice laughed.

XxXxXxX

**A.N: And now you review :) **


	27. Irritation

**A.N- Well we got to 296 reviews! I'm a bit disappointed about the whole 300 thing but oh weLl! I want three hundred and seven for this one though okay? It's longer than normal so it's reasonable! Remember reviews inspire authors. **

**Thank you so much to all of the amazing reviewers too! Some comments that I got made me extra desperate to update! Thanks to MT, gothChiq80, SethsMYwolf, Alice825, Switzerland81, Marie One, Serinity Clearwater, Samasbananas, Jada91, No Name :), Brankel1, unknown girl, and my wonderful beta! **

**Also MT I listened to Stuttering and I agree :) **

**I hope you all enjoy cute E x L in this chap! **

**XxXxXxX**

Chapter 27 – Irritation

I slept over at the Cullen's house that night. Emmett forced us to play RockBand for several hours. My eyes started to burn after a couple of hours, so I announced that I was tired and rang my Mom to tell her I was staying at the Cullen's.

I slept in Edward's bed, of course. He sat quietly at his desk, a small desk lamp on as he typed away on his MacBook. I didn't mind his being in the room whilst I slept as much as I used to. Maybe I'd just gotten used to his vampire tendencies.

"You're going to be late for work," Edward told me. He was sat opposite me in the kitchen, smirking over the top of the newspaper. Emmett was in the lounge, shooting things as usual. Carlisle had just left for work. Despite the vampire side of things, it seemed like a very civilised arrangement.

"Why, what time is it?" I asked as I took in another mouth of Cookie Crisp.

"Ten to nine," Edward replied casually. I almost spat out my cereal all over Edward's messy hair. He cringed at that thought.

"What!" I demanded, standing up, forgetting about my cereal. The spoon clattered against the bowl as I raced upstairs and grabbed my work bag. It was just a black backpack, but it held my umbrella and purse, among other things.

I raced back down the stairs, two at a time, and jumped from the fourth step at the bottom. My eyes shut automatically, but a second later my body hit something cold and hard. Edward's arms wrapped around my waist, and he chuckled quietly in my ear.

"Clumsy or on purpose?" he whispered.

"On purpose, of course," I replied with a grin.

He set me down on the ground gently, as if I'd break if he dropped me. He smirked again at that thought.

"Sometimes, I wonder," he said.

"Shut up," I rolled my eyes. I looked around the room, eyes locking onto the table beside the front door. The Cullen's car keys were all on that table, and so were the keys to my Ducati, usually.

"Where are my keys?" I demanded, rushing over to the table and rummaging through the sets of keys.

"I'll drive you," Edward replied.

"You can't! It's over the treaty!" I yelled.

"Oh yes," he murmured under his breath. He disappeared from the room, reappeared holding a pair of keys. He moved over to me, handed me the keys and then squeezed my hand.

"Have fun at work," he whispered.

"I will," I smirked, before rushing out of the house at top speed.

XxXxXxX

"You're late," Paul greeted me as I stepped through the door. Apparently, he'd become bored with his constant attire of suits and tuxedos. He was wearing some beige cut off jeans and a plain white T-shirt, looking very causal behind the front desk. He was leaned back in his leather chair, spinning around occasionally.

"By two minutes," I replied, glancing at my wristwatch.

"Still late," Paul said. "I don't appreciate tardiness."

"You don't appreciate anything," I muttered angrily.

"Excuse me? What was that?" he asked me, standing up and moving towards me to threaten me. He raised his eyebrows, silently daring me to repeat my words and get the sack. I bit my tongue so hard that I tasted blood, fought the urge to break his nose.

"Nothing."

"Nothing sir," he corrected me again. I ground my teeth, swallowed the blood in my mouth.

"Yes."

"Yes sir," he corrected again. I nodded, not bothering with a verbal reply – partly because I was sure that I would curse at him vehemently.

I dumped my bag in the back room, took off my jacket and slung it over the arm of the couch in there. Then, I left the room to take over Paul's position at the front counter. He smirked at me tauntingly, daring me to make a comment, before retiring to his 'Manager's Office' at the back of the shop.

I glanced at my watch. The time was nine o'clock exactly. I sighed, moved over to the front door and turned over the 'closed' sign to read 'open.'

Barely five minutes later, the door opened and the bell resonated through the shop. I looked up from the magazine that I'd been flicking through. The customer, who had short blonde hair and wore a black hoodie, moved to the tyres display and began to browse the tyres.

I turned my attention back to the magazine, boredom radiating through me. I glanced at my watch again. It was ten past nine. I couldn't wait for my break at ten, or my lunch break. I was sorely tempted to pretend to be ill and leave the shop early. But Paul would see through that. It wasn't possible for a werewolf to be sick.

"Excuse me?" the customer from earlier asked. I hadn't noticed him approaching the front desk. He gestured back to the tyres. "I'd like to buy some tyres and get them fitted."

I nodded.

"Certainly," I replied.

XxXxXxX

"You can go for your lunch break now, Leah," Paul told me. "The shop's pretty quiet. I can watch it for a while."

"Thanks, Paul," I replied stiffly.

"Sir," he corrected.

"Whatever," I laughed. He smirked in response, apparently choosing to not push the matter. "I'll see you in an hour and a half?"

"That's what you normally get," Paul replied.

I made my way out of the shop quickly, taking my backpack and coat with me. It was raining lightly, drizzling, outside. The sun was nowhere to be seen, not even peeking out from behind the thick grey clouds. It was your typical day in Forks, really.

My phone rang in my pocket.

Sender: Edward

Message: Fancy meeting for lunch? I know that there's a Frankie and Bennie's nearby. We'd be able to catch it if we're quick. E x

I grinned wryly. Of course, Alice would have been watching my future. I'd been considering a McDonalds, but a Frankie and Bennie's was much healthier than a bunch of fried food on a tray. I quickly composed a reply.

Sender: Leah

Message: I'd love to. Where is it? L x

I climbed onto my Ducati, pulled my bag onto my back and looked back at my phone. Edward was very quick at replying to texts.

Sender: Edward

Message: I'll meet you at your house. It's raining now, Alice saw you arriving at the restaurant soaked if you went yourself. I'm sure you don't enjoy public embarrassment. E x

I rolled my eyes. Edward was such a stubborn guy. He obviously didn't like the fact that he wasn't allowed to visit my work. It was a bit annoying, that I couldn't be picked up by Edward when it was cold or raining. But I could bare it, especially for the amount that Paul was paying per month.

I drove back to my house at top speed, determined to beat Edward there. He always arrived first, thanks to his supernatural vampire quirks. I didn't like being considered slow by anyone, especially not by obnoxious, boastful vampires.

I pulled onto my drive, and defeat filled me as I saw his shiny silver Volvo pulled up on the drive. Edward was leaned against it, waved casually when he heard my disappointed thoughts. I stuck out my tongue, pulled off my helmet and jumped from the bike.

"I win," he announced, smirking.

"We never said it was a race," I replied.

"In your mind, you considered this a race."

"How do you know?" I challenged.

"I can read your mind," he grinned.

"From such a distance?" I asked, now slightly impressed.

"Your mind is very potent to me, as I said before," Edward replied. "Now, shall we?" he gestured to the passenger door of his car. I climbed in, buckled up without another word. Edward smirked, taking my silence as moodiness. He climbed in at the driver's side, slammed the door and put the key in the ignition.

The car purred. It was a beautiful sound.

"You've tuned up," I stated.

"Actually, it was Rosalie. She's very good with cars," pride was clear in his voice.

"You're proud of her," I said.

"Of course I am. She doesn't enjoy this life. But she tries her best, always tries to be happy in front of us. I think she does a wonderful job," he smiled at the end.

"How fast can it go?" I asked curiously.

"Do you want to see?" he replied curiously. His eyebrow quirked up into his hair, eyes sparkled with amusement and the prospect of a challenge. I grinned in turn, imagining the two of us speeding down the high way together at top speed, faces distorted by the G-force.

"Oh yes," I said. "Not in La Push though. I don't want the Elders coming a-knocking on my door because they've heard about me being in a car with a speeding vampire."

Edward grinned, nodded.

Once we made it out of the La Push border, Edward put his foot down, and the relaxed purring of the car suddenly turned into an energetic growl. The tyres squealed against the damp road, smoke rose from beneath us, obscuring our vision temporarily.

Then, suddenly, the car was flying. The scenery raced by at a shocking speed, trees blurring together. The other cars on the road blurred into each other, the Volvo growling all the while. I glanced at the speedometer. It was nearing two hundred miles per hour already.

"Whoo!" I yelled for no apparent reason as we flew down the road.

"This is why we drive fast!" Edward yelled in response, again, for no reason. Despite car's growling, you could probably hear a whisper above the noise. "There isn't any danger, not for us!"

He took his foot from the accelerator – the car slowed dramatically – before he put his foot down again, stomping on the pedal. The car flew forwards, causing my head to fly backwards into the head rest. I grinned widely as we raced down the road.

Suddenly, Edward jerked the wheel to the side, and the back of the car swung around as we turned a corner. Then, the Volvo was going again, racing down the road.

"Shoot," Edward cursed suddenly. "Sorry Leah. Hold on tight."

Before I had time to actually grab onto anything, Edward slammed down on the break. He performed a U-turn and suddenly parked at the side of the road. A second later, a police car moved down the road at a slow speed. The officer inside I recognised instantly – Charlie Swan, probably on his lunch break too.

"Are you okay?" Edward asked in concern. There was a dull throbbing in my ribs, nothing too serious, I could tell. Already, I could feel the healing throb in my chest. It was probably a broken rib or something a couple of seconds ago. Still, I winced slightly at the uncomfortable throbbing.

"Leah?" he asked in alarm.

"Chill Edward, I'm fine. I think a couple of ribs broke when you stopped the car, they're just healing. It throbs a bit when broken bones heal," I told him.

"Let me see," he commanded calmly, still looking concerned.

"Edward," I said firmly. "I'm fine."

"Please," he said quietly. I looked up, which was a big mistake on my part. His golden eyes were filled with remorse and guilt as he stared at me, and my resolve broke as I lifted my shirt slightly to reveal a large purple bruise. It was quickly fading though, aging as we watched.

Edward gently moved one of his hands, pressed it against the bruise. I flinched at first, but a second later the pain subsided and the coolness of Edward's skin soothed the healing ache. I smiled, exhaled in relief. Edward smirked at my response to his skin on mine.

"This could look bad," he commented. "With me, pressing my fingers against your chest."

I laughed. "Don't worry Ed. Nobody can see us."

XxXxXxX

I ordered a margarita pizza, which was delicious as expected. Edward didn't order anything – he'd made an effort the first time we ate together, but he'd thrown up a little too violently to do it again. I didn't really need to know that whilst I was eating.

"How's life at the Cullen household, then?" I asked curiously.

"Dull."

"I thought you'd be playing RockBand with Emmett or letting Alice give you a makeover," I said sarcastically.

Edward laughed, the sound was off.

"It does tend to be boring when you aren't there, actually," Edward told me, avoiding my eyes. I smiled at his words.

"Really?" I asked curiously.

"Really. You're very fresh, Leah. It's nice to have somebody like you in the house. Alice likes taking you shopping, Emmett likes playing video games with you. Carlisle enjoys the way you view things, and Esme loves to cook for you. Jasper and Rosalie are distant to you, but Jasper is shy because he knows how much your species hate vampires that can't control their urges."

"Thank you," I replied. I thought back on his words. "You didn't mention yourself…"

Edward grinned wryly. "You already know what I think."

"Do I?" I challenged. He sighed in turn, before lifting his head so that his eyes could bore into mine. The world around us seemed to freeze solid as he spoke in a quick, slightly breathless tone.

"You're strong, you fight for what you believe in. You're feisty, but you always stand up for your friends and family. You gave me a chance, despite your first impression of me. You're easy to speak to. You've been there for me; you try to protect me from Bella and Jacob. You are an exquisite creature with a kind mind and a very detailed mental voice. Everything about you is different, enticing. You are like nothing I have ever seen before," Edward finished.

I blinked in shock.

"Thank you," I murmured. I leaned across the table, grabbed one of his hands. They were cold as always – I rubbed them with my own warm hands, trying to warm him up for some reason.

"I'm only speaking the truth," he whispered in response.

"Your pizza, madam," the waiter said, effectively ruining the moment. I hastily retracted my hand and dug into the pizza with quiet enthusiasm.

XxXxXxX

It was ten to five, and Paul was about to close up the shop. My day had passed in lurches – Paul had given me another break in the afternoon. I'd wondered on more than one occasion why he was being so nice to me. It just wasn't in Paul's nature to give more than he actually had to.

"Mind closing those shutters?" he asked, gesturing to the window on the left side of the shop. I nodded, went over to the window and pulled the grey shutters closed, locking them into place.

At that moment, my phone buzzed in my pocket. I was expecting a text from Edward, probably about a ride home or to the Cullen house. Since I'd met him, I'd practically lived at the Cullen's house. I didn't think that my Mom even noticed. She had been absorbed in her work since Dad.

I pulled out my phone.

Sender: Unknown (0011223344)

Message: Hey sugar. Missed me?

I ignored the text, shoved my phone back into my pocket roughly.

"Are we done here?" I asked Paul.

"Yep. Your boyfriend coming to pick you up?" Paul replied.

"He's not my boyfriend," I rolled my eyes.

"Sure. Anyway. Is he?"

"We're over the treaty line, remember?" I asked.

"Hmph," Paul smirked. "Well, c'mon," he shooed me outside. I pulled my jacket around me tightly, suddenly recalling that I'd left my Ducati at my house when Edward took me for lunch. Shoot.

Paul sighed in irritation. "Do you want a ride to the edge of La Push?" he asked. "I'm going out that way anyways."

"Why are you being so nice to me?" I asked suspiciously.

"Is that a yes or a no?" he replied, ignoring me.

"Yes," I said, after a pause. "Thank you."

I got into his car. It was a Volkswagen Golf, new. Apparently Paul made more money than it looked like with his little shop.

"So," I said, once we were moving down the highway towards the edge of La Push. "Why are you being so nice to me?"

Paul sighed, grabbed his face with one of his hands. "I guess I just decided to be nice. If I employed anyone else, I wouldn't get away with being so…"

"Rude?" I supplied.

"No."

"Arrogant?" I suggested.

"No."

"Bastard-ish?" I asked lightly. Paul laughed.

"Unfair," he said. "So I decided to treat you as I'd treat anybody else. Happy birthday."

I laughed in response.

I pulled out my phone again. There were two new texts, another from the creepy 'Unknown' guy, and one from Edward. I opened the one from Unknown first.

Sender: Unknown (0011223344)

Message: Not pleased to see me?

I opened the text from Edward.

Sender: Edward

Message: Sorry, I completely forgot about your Ducati! I'll meet you at the treaty line, where Alice saw you, very soon. E x

I smiled gently.

"He is definitely your boyfriend," Paul said. He'd read the text over my shoulder, apparently.

"He isn't," I replied defiantly.

"He is. Or at least he thinks he is."

"What makes you think that?" I demanded, annoyed. Edward had never expressed anything more than a friendly relationship with me.

"No guy leaves kisses in their text messages, unless they're for their girlfriend."

"Some guys with girl friends do," I corrected. "It's a very twenty first century thing."

"And this guy isn't from the twenty first century! He's one hundred and ten or whatever," Paul replied. "Anyway, believe what you like. I'm not going to persuade you. It's better if you don't fall in love with a bloodsucker, really."

"I DON'T LOVE HIM!" I yelled in irritation. "Can we please drop this?"

"Whatever. Look, we're here," he pulled the car to a halt down one of the country roads. I saw Edward's Volvo in the distance, the lights flashing when he saw me. I quickly got out of the car and waved enthusiastically.

"Thanks Paul," I called. "I owe you!"

"And I'll hold you to that," he grumbled, before gunning the engine and quickly driving away. I ran over to the car, stumbled and almost fell over a tree branch.

I silently prayed I wasn't getting clumsy a second before my face hit the tarmac.

"Somebody getting clumsy?" Edward asked with a low chuckle. Somehow, he'd managed to slip his arms underneath me, effectively breaking my fall.

"Shut up," I said, barely stopping myself smiling.

Edward grinned at me, quirking an eyebrow before lifting me up with one arm, holding me on his shoulder. It seemed like a long way to fall.

He put me into the car himself, for some reason. He leaned over me as if he was going to buckle me in, but I stuck my tongue out and licked his cheek like a dog, making him recoil and shudder.

A second later, he climbed into the car beside me and put the key in the ignition. The Volvo's engine purred to life, reminding me of its real speed.

"How was work?" Edward asked, once we were moving down the road at a leisurely pace. Well, seventy miles an hour. It seemed slow compared to what we'd been doing earlier.

"Slow."

"Well, don't worry," Edward laughed nervously. "Because Emmett's got a surprise for you when we get back. That is, if you're coming back to the 'Cullen Household.'" I could hear air quotes in his words.

"That depends," I groaned. "What has he done?"

Edward chuckled nervously. "Well…"

"Well?" I demanded.

"He tried to make you some food," Edward said, still sounding incredibly nervous.

"What's so bad about that?" I asked curiously. Obviously, it was bad… but I couldn't figure out why.

"Well… you'll see," Edward said nervously.

Oh god.

XxXxXxXxX

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	28. Emmett Cooking

**A.N: Another chapter. Apologies for the lateness, I've had quite a rough week this week. I hope it's good enough, I did write it in a bit of a rush. Also, people asking about the creepo and leaving suggestions as to who it could be, I have not done the obvious! Let's say no more! **

**Reviews would be greatly appreciated as always. I would love to get to 320 but I know that's unlikely. 315, perhaps? One more than last time? **

Chapter 28 – Emmett Cooking

"Leah! I cooked for you!" Emmett screamed as I crossed the threshold of the Cullen's house. He wore a chef's hat on the top of his head, with a starch white apron covering his massive torso. He also wore bunny slippers on his feet, for some reason. I didn't ask – I didn't really want to know, actually.

"Hi, Emmett. That's great." I replied, hoping that I didn't sound too wary. However, a pout formed on his face and he looked beyond heartbroken as he looked at the ground and turned back into the kitchen. Instantly, I felt guilty, for some reason. Alice's pout never worked on me, but when it came to Emmett apparently I was helpless.

I looked at Edward. He'd obviously been listening to my thoughts; a sympathetic expression was clear on his face.

"Emmett," I called quickly. He froze at the entrance to the kitchen door, turned his head back towards me slowly. "What did you cook for me?" I asked nervously.

Emmett wasn't deterred by my nervous tone – he beamed and disappeared into the kitchen, reappearing almost instantly with a plate of goo. It was pale white, with sprinkled mozzarella on top. It wasn't cooked, so the cheese hadn't melted, and large clumps of tomato sauce were positioned in odd places on top of the cheese.

"Pizza!" Emmett beamed, holding it up for examination.

"Nice," I replied, hoping that I sounded enthusiastic.

"That's not all," he announced mysteriously. He grabbed my hand, pulled me into the kitchen. When we entered the room, I had to stop myself gagging as I looked at all the food.

It seemed that he'd really overdone the whole 'desert' thing. There was a large cake, which looked to be a mixture of a chocolate cake, a Victoria sandwich cake, a sponge cake, a carrot cake, and a strawberry cheesecake all in one. He'd poured melted chocolate over the top too, covered the thing in marshmallows. I enjoyed sweet things, but it seemed too excessive.

There was also some garlic bread – cheesy garlic bread. It almost mirrored the pizza, with massive clumps of garlic and cheese across the uncooked pizza base.

"There's some cake… I put all of the different types of cake together in case you didn't like one! And garlic bread," he gestured to the plate. "And there's some soup in case you don't like pizza or garlic bread. I don't have anyone to taste test."

I glanced at the soup. Emmett saw me looking at it.

"It's made with vegetable soup, chicken soup, tomato soup, mushroom soup, potato and leak soup, beef and onion soup, and French onion soup too! I thought you must like one of those," Emmett trailed off as he saw my expression. It was probably frozen somewhere between shock and horror.

"Emmett," I started. "I would eat this, of course I would. But you're meant to eat soup separately. It tends to taste… not good… if you eat them all together. And the same goes for the cakes," I added.

"Oh," Emmett looked disappointed. He brightened after a second. "But you can still eat the pizza and garlic bread, right?"

"Umm," I scrambled, trying to think of a nice way to put it.

"Actually she can't," Edward said from the doorway. I hadn't even noticed him standing there. "Alice had a vision of Leah in hospital if she ate the pizza. She must be allergic to one of the ingredients you've added or something."

I shot Edward the most grateful look I could manage. He smiled in return.

"Awh," Emmett sighed. "Okay. I guess I'll have to take this stuff to the trash."

He sighed, tipped the foot into the trash and disappeared from the room holding a black trash bag. I watched him leave in silence. As I heard the front doors close behind me, I burst into hysterical laughter. Shortly after I'd begun to cry with hysteria, Edward followed. His deep chuckles joined my own, and soon we were both clutching onto one another trying to stop ourselves falling over.

"What's so funny?" Emmett blinked in confusion. I hadn't even heard him reappear.

His confused voice only made us laugh harder. I staggered over to the kitchen island and promptly collapsed onto one of the chairs.

"What?" Emmett asked, even more confused.

"Nothing, sorry, sorry," I gasped for breath, face red from laughter. Emmett still looked confused, but he shook it off and disappeared to the lounge. A second later, I heard him begin playing one of his shooting games.

"Thanks," I said to Edward.

"Anytime," he replied. "Now. Shall we go upstairs, Ms. Clearwater?" he asked with a posh British accent.

"Yes, we shall," I replied, also with a posh accent. Edward grinned, suddenly wrapped his arms around my waist. A second later, I was being flung lightly onto Edward's golden bed, a little shocked at how quickly we'd moved.

My phone buzzed in my pocket. I sighed in annoyance, pulled it out and read the text.

_Sender: Unknown (0011223344) _

_ Message: Enjoying yourself? _

I froze.

"Edward," I said. I was half torn, confused on whether or not to tell him.

"Whether or not to tell me what?" Edward asked, his head snapping up. His eyes bore into my own, their golden shade comforting somehow.

"Umm."

"Leah," he said firmly.

"Don't try and tell me what to do, Edward," I said calmly. "I need to make a call."

Awareness flashed in his eyes. He disappeared from before me, and suddenly my phone was swiped from my hands. I blinked in shock, confused for just a moment before I noticed Edward stood rigidly by the edge of the bed, reading the text.

"When did you get this?" he snarled. "Have you had any more texts like this?"

"Edward," I replied, still calm and firm.

"Answer me!"

"Don't tell me what to do," I responded, also trembling with anger.

"Leah, TELL ME!" He roared, his voice echoing through the house. I snarled in response, standing up from the bed and defending myself.

"Do not invade my PRIVACY!" I yelled in response, barely able to control my shaking. Growls were ripping from between my teeth, my head twitching as I fought against my inner wolf. Heat was rising within me, only making me angrier.

"Leah," he said, sounding calmer. I could hear that he'd gritted his teeth in anger. "I am only asking because I want to protect you."

"I don't need to be protected!" I snarled in response.

"Calm down," he said gently.

"Don't tell me what to do!" I yelled, shaking. I was barely able to control it – I was going to phase in Edward's room and attack him. The shaking increased, the fire within me seemed to expand, cover my entire body with its heat.

A second later, something cold and hard wrapped around my entire body in a hug. I could feel my face being pressed into cold fabric, and my shaking lessened almost instantly. I felt Edward's cool hands on my back, the temperature calming me through my clothing. I inhaled quietly through my nose, and the scent of him seemed unreal, yet oddly comforting.

"I'm sorry," I heard him whisper from just above my head. I wrapped my arms – which hung limply at my sides – around him, enjoying the coolness. We both sighed at the same moment, both of us relaxing immediately.

"You're controlling," I replied, turning my head to the left so that I could rest my ear against his chest and look out of the window. The absence of a heartbeat should have chilled me. It didn't though, just made me think of Edward.

"I know," he replied. "I'm sorry."

"You shouldn't shout at me," I said. "Even when you get angry. I know Bella always told you everything without you having to plead with her… but I am not like Bella Swan. And I am not going to let you push me about, Edward."

"I wasn't trying to push you about," he replied, sounding ashamed. "I just worry. It feels like you're the only thing keeping me here now, along with my family. If you left, the pain of Bella leaving would reappear. And it would hurt again."

Something seemed to sink to rock bottom inside me.

"And, of course, I wouldn't have my energetic, lively, feisty, bad tempered she wolf to argue with anymore," I could hear the smile in his voice.

I pulled away, looked him in the eye.

"I've gotten four texts from this guy, including that one," I said.

"Does this mean you have forgiven me?" Edward asked.

"I thought you were more bothered about these texts than my emotions," I said, knowing it was a little low.

"I… I would rather know that you have forgiven me than know about these text messages," Edward said quietly.

I smiled. _Yes, forgiven. For now. _

"Four texts?" he asked, after giving me a smile and patting my hand lightly.

"Look," I said, taking my phone from Edward. I grabbed his arm, dragged him to the bed. I sat down, cross legged in the centre of the bed. Edward sat beside me, his long legs dangling from the side of the bed. He looked down at the phone screen, his 'thinking face' the only emotion that I could see.

_I've wanted you for so long. You're finally alone, sweetheart. Don't worry, I'm coming for you soon. We'll finally be together when he's gone._

_Hey sugar. Missed me? _

_ Not pleased to see me? _

_ Enjoying yourself? _

Edward's expression became a frown and a snarl of rage left him as he read through the texts another few times.

"Emmett!" he called. Almost instantly, the giant muscled vampire appeared in the room, looking at our serious expressions.

"What's up, Eddie?" he waggled his eyebrows. "Need sex advice?"

I groaned, as did Edward. "Stop it," I rolled my eyes. "You know we aren't in a relationship."

"Not yetttt!" Emmett sang.

"Ugh," I groaned. "Everybody seems to think that! We have no romantic interest for each other whatsoever, right!" I looked at Edward from support.

He nodded, didn't speak.

"Whatever," Emmett replied.

"Anyway," Edward changed the subject as I opened my mouth to retaliate violently, probably using curses to get my point across. Edward was pleased about my whole 'non-cursing' thing at the moment.

"Go on," Emmett said.

"Leah's been getting creepy texts."

"What?" Emmett exploded. "Who from? Tell me, then I can go kick their ass for messing with my little sis!" he rolled up his sleeves threateningly. I was silently beaming at the use of the words 'little sis.'

"We don't know," Edward and I said at the same time.

"That's why we need you," Edward finished. "You're very technological," he added. "Can't you trace the number or something?"

"Possibly," Emmett looked deep in thought. I tossed him the phone, which he managed to catch without breaking. He looked at the number, memorised it and tossed the phone back to me. I caught it easily.

"That's some freaky shit," Emmett said, frowning as he read the texts.

"I know."

There was a pause.

"I'll see what I can do," Emmett told me, taking my phone and disappearing from the room.

"So," I said, curling up into a ball and hugging my knees to my chest.

Edward moved to sit beside me, took my hand and held it between his own. The cool temperature was soothing, gentle.

"When did this start?" Edward asked curiously, gesturing to our entwined hands.

"I'm not sure," I replied honestly. "But it's okay, right? Friends who are really close do hold hands sometimes."

"Of course it's okay," Edward replied. "More than okay. Your hot temperature is very soothing. It actually makes me feel warm, rather than forever frozen in this state," he gestured to his face and teenaged body.

I smiled, leaned back onto Edward's pillows and closed my eyes.

"That will not be comfy in the morning," he said. "And your legs will hurt from wearing jeans all night."

"I don't care," I replied, not opening my eyes.

"Leah," Edward said.

"Ugh," I groaned. "Don't make me."

"I'll get Emmett in here," he replied threateningly, his breath fanning against my ear. I could feel his cool chin close to my head.

"Fine!" I moaned, opening my eyes and moving grouchily to the wardrobe. I pulled out a tank top and some shorts to wear.

"W-won't you be cold in that?" Edward asked. If I didn't have infallible werewolf senses, I would have thought that I imagined his stutter.

"I'll be fine, Eddie," I smirked, moving into the bathroom with my clothes.

I showered quickly, feeling very secure considering the fact that I was getting creepy texts. Emmett would track down the guy responsible, and Edward would probably kill him. I wasn't in any danger or anything.

I stepped from the bathroom lightly, feeling more awake than before. The shorts came to just above my knees, making me feel incredibly tall. The tank top was thin and revealed the muscles in my arm as well as my tattoo. I would have felt exposed if I was with anyone other than Edward.

"What do you think?" I said as I saw him sat on the bed, reading one of his old leather bound books. He looked up, eyes widening considerably as he saw me in such a skimpy outfit. "I know, it's revealing and stuff. But it's gonna be warm tonight apparently. And it doesn't really help much when you're already running at one-oh-eight."

Edward cleared his throat, for some reason. He didn't need to, he was a vampire.

"It's fine," he said tightly. "You look nice."

I grinned. "Thanks?"

He laughed. "C'mon."

I got into the bed, pulled the covers over me. I was warm instantly, so I threw the first quilt from the duvet. It helped instantly, allowed me to close my eyes in comfort.

Silence filled the room as he turned off the light, allowing me to relax even more. His regular, deep breathing comforted me as I began to count his breaths. This continued for several minutes as I fought for sleep.

"You know," Edward said in a quiet voice. "When Emmett traces this person… I will go out and kill them for you. I don't care about the law."

I smiled.

"Thanks," I said, my voice sounding strained from lack of use. I didn't open my eyes to speak. "I only started getting them today though. It could just be a one off."

"It could be," Edward agreed. "But it usually isn't."

I chuckled. "Always ready to assume the worst. Right, I'm going to sleep. Don't talk to me."

"Goodnight," Edward replied.

I didn't respond, just listened to his breathing and eventually drifted off.

XxXxXxXxX

**A.N: This week's question: (I forgot to do this for ages!) **

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	29. Impossible

**A.N: Okay, so there weren't as many reviews as I would have liked. In fact, when I woke up this morning there were no reviews? What happened, guys? Was the chapter not up to scratch or something? **

**Thanks to the reviewers who reviewed this time round though! I am taking all of your wants into account whilst I'm writing the next few chapters, so hopefully everybody will be satisfied at some point in the future! I already have the next chapter written, so as soon as I get enough reviews, I'll upload! Sound good, eh? **

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* * *

><p>Chapter 29 – Impossible<p>

Emmett threw himself into tracing the number eagerly. For the next few days, he was never off of his MacBook, typing rapidly and gazing at the screen, unblinking. He was so focused on his task that he was even neglecting his wife a little bit. Of course, Rosalie understood the situation and didn't blame me for it in the slightest – though I could tell she was very aggravated with her husband.

"Damn!" Emmett cussed, for what seemed to be the fourth time that day. He angrily picked up his MacBook and threw it at a wall with all his vampire strength. The particularly fragile piece of technology shattered on impact, pieces of metal and plastic flying across the room, making a loud 'BANG' on impact.

"Emmett McCarthy Cullen!" Esme shouted from the kitchen. She played the 'Mom' role very well, especially when her 'kids' were 'naughty.' She stormed into the room after a second, her form blurring as she came to a halt. It seemed my werewolf senses were a little slower than usual.

"Sorry Mom," Emmett said, sounding angrier than I'd ever seen him. "I'll clean it up and buy a new one."

"Yes, you will. And you will apologise for making Leah jump," she added, obviously annoyed. "And," she added, staring at the wall. The paint was cracked, as was the plaster itself. "You will pay to have the wall fixed. Do you understand?"

"Yes Mom," Emmett replied bitterly.

He began to clean up the shards of plastic, metal and glass from the ground, muttering angrily under his breath. I waited until Esme had disappeared from the room before I spoke to him in a low voice, very aware of his temper. Although Emmett was the most fun loving, relaxed guy I'd ever know, he was also a Vampire with a bad temper at that moment.

"What's wrong?" I asked calmly.

"Your stupid texter," Emmett replied angrily, sweeping up the debris forcefully. "I can't trace his number to anywhere. Not even a country – hell, not even a continent! It's impossible," he said angrily, disposing of the rubbish quickly.

"So, you can't find him," I summarised.

Emmett growled. "No, I can't. But don't worry, Leah. Because even if it takes another hundred years, I will trace him and I will make him pay for messing with your head."

I smiled at his protectiveness.

"Is there something wrong down here?" Edward asked from the doorway, smooth as ever. He glided into the room, sat down on the couch and draped his legs over the arm, relaxed and calm. He quirked an eyebrow, a habit that he'd picked up from me, and examined the remains of the MacBook.

"Emmett got frustrated," I replied. It covered almost all of the fields, really.

"I gathered, from the way that he was screaming," Edward chuckled. Emmett shot him a look. He moved to leave the room, grabbing Edward's foot as he left and forcibly pulling him from the couch. Edward landed on the ground with a very loud 'BANG.' I winced, rolled my eyes.

"He can't find this guy," I said, once Emmett had gone.

"I know."

"I thought you'd be upset," I said.

"I am."

"I thought you'd be visibly upset," I elaborated.

"I'm good at hiding my emotions," he looked at me intently, almost as if trying to communicate something through only his eyes. After a second of staring at each other, Edward looked away, sighing heavily as he sat up straight on the couch, gestured for me to sit in the armchair opposite. I did as he said, leaning back into the pale cream leather.

"What are we doing today?" I asked curiously, crossing my legs as I tried to get comfy.

"I'm not sure," Edward replied. "What do you want to do?"

"I don't know," I said. I considered, thinking back on La Push. I hadn't been back there for a very long time, but I found it difficult to imagine La Push as home now. Mom was never there, Dad wasn't there anymore, and Seth visited the Cullen's house such a lot that I didn't really have a chance to miss him.

But I did miss Jacob.

I hadn't seen him for several weeks, actually. I hadn't phased before Christmas, and even when I was phasing, I hadn't actually seen Jake in the flesh. I missed his teasing personality, his continual probing about my and Edward's relationship. I didn't miss his girlfriend though.

I wanted to see Jacob. But I didn't want to mention his name in Edward's presence. I didn't want to upset him.

"I don't care anymore," Edward said. Apparently he'd listened to all of my thoughts. "I don't care about Jacob Black and Isabella Swan. Or rather, I don't care for them. I'm not bothered about you visiting them. So long as you come back in one piece."

I laughed. "Of course I will. I'm not as breakable as her."

"She was a special case," Edward agreed lightly. "I don't know anyone who could trip when walking on a flat surface."

"Nor do I," I agreed. "I don't know anyone who could be such a bitch, either."

"Leah," he sounded pained.

"Seriously though," I ranted. "She went out with you, then she obsessed over Jacob, then she went back to you and broke his heart, and then dropped you and went back to him again! If that isn't bitchy, I don't know what the heck is."

"You said you wouldn't curse anymore," he sounded disappointed. I was surprised that he hadn't taken offence on Bitch-ella's behalf.

"I'm sorry," I replied. "She's a special case."

We both laughed, really laughed.

XxXxXxXxX

"Are you sure you'll be alright on your own down here?" I asked, looking round the room. It was a large house with lots of technology, board games and other methods of entertainment, but Edward always complained of being bored when I wasn't around. Although, he always said that he had fun hunting with his 'siblings.' I considered hunting with him – well, going with him but not hunting, just watching.

"Of course, Leah. I'm a grown man," he laughed.

"Of course you are," I mimicked, laughing.

"Call me when you're over the boarder?"

"Always," I replied, smiling as we left the house.

It was raining outside, so Edward – being the gentleman that he was – offered to give me a lift to the boarder. I agreed, of course, and we cruised down the highway at top speed, both of us laughing loudly at the thrill. Though I was sure that the car wasn't as fast as vampire speed, Edward was obviously still enjoying himself.

We pulled to a halt by the trees. I threw open the passenger door and inhaled a big breath through my nose. The scent that I caught caused me to wrinkle my nose in distaste. It was incredibly woodsy, almost murky and damp. Like a wet dog, or something. I shuddered at the scent, wrinkled my nose to try and stop the odour.

"That's what we have to deal with," Edward laughed in amusement.

"What?" I asked, turning back to him.

"That is the scent of the werewolf. Although, I can admit that you have never smelt that way. Your scent is a mixture of sweet and savoury, or something. The perfect balance. I can't place it, even now," he said. "But the rest of your kind smells like that."

"How have I not noticed that scent?" I asked in wonder.

"God knows," Edward replied with a smirk. "I'll see you later."

"Three hours," I told him with a mocking wave. He grinned, imitated my wave and then drove off, tyres squealing.

I trudged through the forest – well, sprinted. My feet fell into a regular pattern, my breathing just the same as I ran through the forest. I didn't need to use my eyes; I could just sense when to avoid trees and whatnot. After a couple of minutes running, I broke through the trees at the other end of the forest.

I was at First Beach.

I pulled my phone from my jacket pocket – it was the jacket Alice had given me. She'd also taught me how to do my hair both straight and curly. I liked it both ways, but it was curly at that moment.

I had a text.

_Sender: Unknown (0011223344)_

_Message: I suppose you don't want to see me. That's a shame. I'm missing you, babe._

I rolled my eyes, composed a new message.

_Sender: Leah_

_Message: I'm on First Beach. I don't suppose you'd be up for meeting me now, would you? I don't seem to get down here as often as I'd like. Sorry for the short notice, Jakey. L._

Barely ten seconds later, my phone beeped.

_Sender: Jacob_

_Message: On my way._

I strolled down the surf, alone. There were a few people on the beach, but it wasn't that busy. It was still winter, and the sea air was cold enough to make humans shiver. I briefly considered taking off my shoes, but changed my mind. It wouldn't look normal, walking down the beach in the freezing cold with no shoes on.

"Leah!" I heard Jacob call. I looked up from the sand, a smile forming on my face as I saw him running towards me. He'd put on a shirt – it was too cold to be classed as 'normal' whilst you weren't wearing a shirt. His expression was a beaming smile as he finally stopped beside me.

"Hiya Jake," I said, smiling.

"Hey Lee," he replied, also smiling. "So, what brings you here?"

"I missed my friend," I said honestly, still smiling.

"Oh really?" Jacob arched an eyebrow.

"Is that so difficult to believe?" I replied, mimicking his expression.

Jacob laughed. "It is when you're besties with Edward Cullen."

I rolled my eyes. Jacob laughed again.

"Have you told him yet?" he asked, as we began to walk. He slowed for me, taking smaller strides. I wondered if he was used to slowing down for Bitch-ella.

"Told him what?" I replied.

"You know what," Jacob said seriously, gazing at me intently. I sighed, realising what he was talking about.

"No," I admitted. "Rosalie knows. I'm afraid of his reaction. And it's difficult to say, even now."

"His birthday's coming up, isn't it?" Jacob asked quietly. He was always gentle when we discussed my little Harry.

"Yeah. Friday," I said. My throat was dry.

"Why don't you take him with you?" Jacob asked seriously. "To see him, I mean. It might do you good, Lee."

"It's normally something I prefer to do on my own," I replied, wanting to change the subject.

"You used to prefer to do everything alone," Jacob said. "That's changed since you met him. Besides, you two obviously have some deep connection or something. He'll know that there's something wrong. What are you going to tell him, are you going to lie to him?"

"No!" I replied defensively. "I'll tell him. You're right," I sighed in defeat. "I need to tell him."

Jacob could obviously tell that I didn't want to speak about Harry anymore. He changed the subject to life at La Push.

"Bella's got a job," he said, sounding proud.

"What as, a journalist?" I asked critically.

"A journalist?" Jacob replied quizzically.

"Well, they tend to be bitchy, don't they? It kind of fits her personality," I grinned. Jacob glared at me.

"She's not that bad," Jacob said.

"Like hell she's not," I scoffed.

He sighed. "Let's talk about something else."

There was a pause.

"See the Mariners Vs the Gators game?" he asked eagerly.

XxXxXxXxX

Jacob decided to take me back to his house. He phoned Bella in advance, asked her if she'd nip out to the shop whilst a friend of his visited. He didn't mention my name – part of me was glad. Bitch-ella didn't take kindly to other females being near her men. That much was obvious from the way that she'd acted before the Newborn Battle.

Bella was out of the house when we arrived, but the house absolutely stank of her. Edward labelled it as freesias, but I labelled it as rotting oranges. Personally, I couldn't smell a hint of freesia anywhere. I wondered vaguely if Edward's sense of smell was failing in his old age. I'd have to taunt him about that later.

"Right," Jacob said, sitting down on the couch. I went and sat on the armchair by the TV; it smelt of Billy rather than Bitch-ella.

"Well?" I asked. Normally, when Jake and I met up, we walked on First Beach for a bit, sometimes went to see Embry or Quil. I hadn't seen either of them since… well… I couldn't remember. I knew that Quil was still very much enjoying his time with Claire, playing hide and seek among other games.

"We need to talk," Jake said firmly, leaning forwards towards me. I mimicked him, arching an eyebrow.

"About?" I asked.

"Edward," Jacob replied seriously. I chuckled – the sound was low and hard.

"If you're going to lecture me on the whole 'I know you have feelings for him' then you're wasting your time. Everybody seems to assume that I'm in love with him or something. And I'm not. We've said one thousand times, we're just friends!"

"Are you sure about that, Lee?" Jacob asked seriously, rather than raising his eyebrows and smirking as everybody else had.

"Y-yes."

"You don't sound sure," he said, sounding slightly pleased. He managed to cover it well, though. Acting all smug and 'know-it-all' in front of me wasn't a wise idea. It just got me riled up and ready to disagree with anything, even if I did actually agree.

"There isn't anyone out there for me," I said calmly.

"That doesn't answer my question," Jacob said.

"Can we drop this?" I asked tiredly. I didn't want to talk about Edward at that moment.

"No, I don't think we can," Jacob said. "I'm happy. It's kind of annoying that you aren't, Lee. And besides, I think the bloodsucker deserves his happiness too. I mean, he could've not let Bella go. He could've forced her to stay with him. Granted, we would have killed him. But he was still perfectly reasonable about the entire thing. He just let her go."

"Can you not call him that?" I replied.

"Call him what?"

"Bloodsucker. He's called Edward Anthony Masen Cullen. Not a leech, or a bloodsucker, or a vamp or anything else! He's just Edward," I said firmly.

"You're so defensive of him," Jacob said, sounding awed.

"No I'm not!" I said angrily. "He doesn't deserve to be called such a degrading name! He is a nice guy, he is friendly and he is mature about everything! He's lost in his own little world ninety five percent of the time, but he still makes time for his family even though he lost his first mate," I all but snarled at Jake. "He is kind, eloquent, ridiculously stupid but he's still one of the nicest guys I've ever had the pleasure of meeting."

Jacob just stared at me blankly.

"Is that really so hard to believe?" I spat.

"How can you be so oblivious to your own feelings, Lee?" Jacob asked.

"I DON'T LOVE HIM! FOR GOD'S SAKE!" I yelled, standing up and pulling my hoodie on.

"Leah, calm down," Jacob said, also standing but holding up his hands in defence.

"Don't tell me what to do!" I yelled in return, my shaking increasing by the second. A second later, my phone vibrated in my pocket.

I sucked in a deep breath, attempted to stop my shaking and pulled out my phone. I pressed it to my ear forcefully.

"What?" I snapped.

_"I'm not trying to tell you what to do,"_Edward's voice said from the other end of the line._"But I don't think you'd enjoy ripping one of your close friends apart with your claws."_

"No," I sighed, calming almost instantly. "I guess you're right. How did you know?"

_"Your future went blank, and then Alice had a vision of you returning to Forks with bloodstained hands, crying your heart out. I didn't think you'd want that to become reality,"_Edward replied seriously.

I barked a laugh. "I guess you're right. Sorry Ed."

_"I'll see you later,"_Edward replied, but I could hear the smile in his voice.

"Bye," I called as the line disconnected. I put my phone into my pocket again, sat down in the armchair and leaned back, exhaling heavily.

Jacob was just gazing at me in shock.

"Don't do that," I said, closing my eyes.

"Don't do what?" he asked, blinking in shock.

"Look at me as if I've just spontaneously combusted or something," I said, opening my eyes and smirking at Jacob. His shocked expression hadn't left his face.

"How did you do that?" Jake demanded.

"Do what?" I asked.

"Calm down so fast," he said.

"Edward has some really freaky influencing skills. If I'm angry and he hugs me or something, I just calm down like that."

"Don't get angry," Jake said after a pause. "But I honestly think that you aren't just friends."

Silence followed his words. I closed my eyes, swallowed hard.

"Neither do I," I admitted in a whisper.

"Why are you so defensive? Is it so hard to believe that you love him?" Jacob asked, sounding curious rather than smug.

"I don't know. I didn't think there would be anyone else for me. Sam left… Harry… I just assumed romance and family life wasn't for me," I admitted.

"You shouldn't let Sam ruin your life," Jacob said.

"I know. And he doesn't, anymore. I have Edward," I said.

"But you don't have Edward in the way that you want him," Jacob grinned devilishly at this point.

"Shut up," I replied, rolling my eyes. "Besides, I don't even know what I want from him."

"Have you ever dreamt about kissing him?" Jacob asked me.

"Are you really asking me this?" I scoffed. "What are you, a teenaged girl?" I looked him up and down. "Actually, you probably are."

"Ha-ha," Jacob said mockingly. "Just answer. I'm not exactly comfortable quizzing you on this."

"Maybe a couple of times," I said quietly.

"A couple of times?"

"Okay, a few times."

"A few times?"

"OKAY, YES, I HAVE!" I yelled, glaring at him. Jacob laughed; I rolled my eyes at him.

"Why don't you talk to him?" Jacob asked me.

"Because he's a one hundred year old vampire who clearly doesn't like me?" I replied sarcastically.

"You don't see him clearly," Jacob said, rolling his eyes.

There was a long silence. I enjoyed the quiet, the gentle humming of the heating. It was somehow soothing. I looked at my watch – I only had about ten minutes until Edward was going to pick me up.

"I need to go," I said, standing and pulling on my hoodie.

"Call me when you've worked things out," Jacob said, also standing. He gave me a quick hug, before patting me on the back and shouting: "Don't be a stranger!" as I walked out of the door.

XxXxXxXxX

I came to a halt at the place where Edward had dropped me off. It was early afternoon by this point; the sun was just breaking through the clouds. A black car with tinted windows pulled up in front of me. I could tell that it was expensive, but my memory had no recollection of a car like this. It was incredibly beautiful, though. Part of me wanted to stroke the glossy paintwork – but the other part of me was thinking 'Why on earth do you want to stroke a car?'

"Because you're weird?" Edward joked as he rolled the window down.

"I like your car," I said.

"Aston Martin DB9 Coupe," he said, smiling. "I think it's pretty too," he stroked the dashboard mockingly.

"So," I said, climbing in. "How fast can this baby go?"

"Why don't we find out?" Edward asked, beaming.

Though the actual specification for the car's top speed was 186 mph, Rosalie could do much more under the bonnet. As the car hit 251 mph, I wondered why she hadn't got a job in motorsports. The speedometer continued to climb up, finally stopping at 281mph. I could feel my skull vibrating as we flew down the path leading to the Cullens, the car bounced up and down. We skidded to a halt as we reached the drive, Edward suddenly jerked the steering wheel and the car performed a spectacular U-turn, halting just beside Alice's Boxster Spyder.

"Your car is amazing," I gasped breathlessly, beaming.

"Thank you," he smirked. I undid my seatbelt, continued to lie limply against the leather.

Edward left the car, coming around to the passenger door and opening it. He lifted me from the car, setting me down on the ground, smirking.

Rosalie was under the hood of Alice's Porsche, tinkering with the engine. Her hair had oil matting it, another couple of stains on her face and clothes. She didn't seem to care about the fact that her designer clothes were ruined, though. She smiled at Edward and I as we passed. Emmett, who was sat in the front seat occasionally testing the engine, jumped out of the car and ran towards us.

"I found a link to your creepy texter! I can't get a fix on whose phone it is, but I can get a fix on where the messages are being sent from!" he said enthusiastically.

"Where are they being sent from?" Edward and I asked eagerly. Well, I was eager, Edward was monotonous.

"They're coming from that pub that you like," Emmett replied. "Or rather, that general area. Within five miles of the pub. I checked," he sounded proud.

"We'll have to check it out," Edward mused aloud. I wasn't stupid; I knew exactly what that meant.

We were going clubbing.

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><p><strong>A.N: Please review ? <strong>


	30. When In Doubt Blame Alice'

**AN- Definitely pleased about the amount of reviews! Thank you to those people who were silent readers and have left a comment now! See what I meant about reviews helping update speed? **

**Thanks to my wonderful beta as always, Baddie :) **

Chapter 30 – I Blame Alice

My new motto was officially: When In Doubt, Blame Alice.

The stupid, obsessive little pixie had insisted upon dressing me for our night out. We weren't even clubbing, so I really didn't see the point. I refused adamantly at first, insisting that there was no point and that I'd just wear a pair of skinny jeans – Alice – and a band T-shirt or something along those lines.

But then Edward had stepped in. He was almost always on my side when it came to Alice and her obsession with shopping and clothes, but for some reason, that night, he sided with his evil little sister.

This was how I'd ended up all but tied to a chair, whilst Alice curled my hair and sought out a deep purple dress. I glared at the offending item of clothing the entire time, though I was pleased Alice had picked out matching ballet flats to wear. I hated wearing heels – I always felt unnaturally tall when I wore them.

"Are you almost done, Alice?" Edward called from below. He'd had it lucky – Alice had just given him a tuxedo and told him to try and tame his hair. He didn't have to go through the hell that was Alice's makeovers.

"Almost!" Alice called. She didn't look almost done – my hair was only half curled. My makeup was done, granted, but I wasn't actually wearing the dress yet.

"Right," Alice said as she heard Edward sweep down the stairs. "I'm going to have to speed up. This might hurt a little. But not very much, because you're a werewolf."

I didn't have time to ask what she meant by that. Suddenly, the evil pixie was attacking my hair at vampire speed. Barely ten seconds later, she tossed down the curling iron and handed me the dress. My head felt a little sore from the pulling at my hair, but it was nothing serious.

"Put this on!" she commanded, disappearing into her closet. I had a shrewd suspicion that she was looking for a clutch bag or something.

I pulled on the dress. It stopped just below my knees, like the red item I'd worn on my last clubbing trip. The shoes were perfect, oddly comfortable considering that they were made of fabric rather than leather. I zipped up the dress, glanced at my reflection fleetingly.

Passable.

"Alice!" Edward called. "We need to go, now!"

"Coming!" Alice called. She emerged from the cupboard, passed me another leather jacket. It was short, stopping below my ribcage. I zipped it up, smirking as Alice handed me the 'rape alarm.'

"Edward's idea?" I asked.

Alice nodded, grinning.

"Overprotective fool," I muttered with a smile.

Alice grabbed my hand and all but flew me downstairs. I stretched my fingers out when she released her vice like grip, wincing slightly as my fingers cracked.

"I'm not invincible, you know," I smirked at Alice.

She shrugged. "Sorry!"

Edward marched into the room, holding his keys in one hand. He looked suitably agitated as he ran a hand through his tamed ginger hair and pinched at the bridge of his nose. I smirked, walked up to him.

"I'm not ginger," he said, pulling his fingers from the bridge of his nose.

"Never said you were," I said, remembering this conversation from a while ago.

"No, but you thought it," he was grinning, obviously remembering the same thing.

"Prove it," I challenged.

He sighed mockingly in defeat, ran a hand through his tamed hair. I wondered if the sensation felt odd to him, considering that his hair normally stuck up in a wild, unruly style.

"It does, a little," he admitted. He changed the subject. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yep," I replied.

"Have fun!" Alice said enthusiastically. She waved – Edward glared at her, for some reason. "Remember, Rosalie and Emmett are in the pub across the street. If you need anything, you've just got to ring them. Or say their names at normal volume. They'll hear, and come help. Okay?"

I sensed that she was only speaking to me. But Edward and I nodded at the same moment, turned to leave the house.

"Good luck!" Alice called as the door closed behind us.

I got into the passenger seat quickly, not enjoying the cold. Despite the fact that I was a werewolf, and that I didn't get cold, the sensation wasn't exactly pleasant.

Edward climbed into the driver's seat and turned up the heat as he revved the engine. We were going in the DB9, partly because it was fast but partly because it was stylish.

"So, remind me what the plan is?" I asked, once we were moving down the highway at a reasonable speed. Edward wasn't really going for it as he was before, just taking his time whilst still enjoying the speed.

"Well, we scope the area. If you get any creepy texts whilst we're there, let me know. The person responsible will probably try and make conversation with you, or just watch you from a distance. Plus, I'll be able to read their minds, of course."

I nodded, considering this. It had crossed my mind several times that Joe Smith – or 'Bastard' as I had named him – could be responsible, but I pushed it out of my mind. Despite the fact I had named him 'Bastard' he didn't seem like the type. Sure, he was rude, pushy, cocky and arrogant, but he wasn't weird or creepy.

Plus, I'd used the card he gave me to double check his number. It didn't match the creepo caller's number, so I disregarded him.

We continued down the road in silence. It was comfortable – we were both submerged in our thoughts. Though, I was pretty certain that Edward was listening to my thoughts.

"Shall we go for it?" Edward asked as he saw me eyeing the speedometer. I grinned – he knew me too well.

He took my smile as confirmation, stepped down on the accelerator forcefully.

The car lurched forwards with a loud growl.

XxXxXxXxX

Music reverberated through the floor, green and purple lights pulsated as Edward and I walked into the pub, hand in hand. Couples and groups of people just enjoying their Wednesday night moved around on the dance floor. Laughter and chatter filled the pub, making the music a little difficult to hear.

"Drink?" Edward asked, his mouth close to my ear.

I nodded. Edward pulled me over to the bar, quickly ordered the day's special for me. He slammed down some coins onto the counter, before abruptly disappearing into the crowds of people.

I shrugged mentally to myself, took a seat on one of the bar stools. The smell of vampire lingered in the air, and I realised with a jolt that it was the seat Edward had been seated in when we first met. I smiled to myself at the thought.

My smile was wiped off of my face when somebody slammed my drink down on the counter in front of me, and shouted my name enthusiastically.

"Leah!" Joe Smith said with a grin. 'Bastard.'

"Hey Joe," I replied lazily. "I didn't know you worked here."

"I didn't, until last weekend. Oscar, the guy you're mates with or something? Yeah, we were talking about money and shit, and he said 'hey, we're hiring here' so I decided, why the heck not?"

"Nice," I replied. "And I see you're not as bastard-ish as you were the last time we met. Is that part of the job description?"

"Ah, I've missed your blunt tongue Leah," Joe said, sounding wistful.

"We've only met once," I reminded him.

"Still," he said. "Anyway, I've changed since we last met Leah. That girl you told me to check out? Well, she was real nice. So we hooked up, spent a couple of nights," he stopped when he saw my expression. "Anyway. So, how've you been Leah?"

"Fine," I was not prepared to speak of my social life with someone who was effectively a stranger.

"Can I buy you a drink now?" he sounded curious.

"I thought you hooked up with that other girl," I responded, looking around the pub in an attempt to catch sight of Edward's ginger hair.

"She disappeared," Joe sounded disgruntled.

"Awh, poor Joey," I said sarcastically.

He looked at me hopefully.

"No," I told him firmly.

Joe pouted, but disappeared to take another order. I spun around on the bar stool, looked across the room. Edward was looking intently at a man with dark brown hair and dark eyes. I couldn't make out an exact colour under the dim lighting.

I moved across the pub to Edward, stopped to stand beside him. He smiled at me as I approached, but the expression was strained. I stood right next to him, gently took his hand in my own.

"What's wrong?" I whispered.

"That man," he replied in a low voice.

"Is he the one sending the –"

"No," Edward cut me off. "He's been watching the woman over there," he gestured across the room at a young woman. She was with a small group of friends, four of them in total. "And thinking extremely perverted, criminal things about her."

"Is he planning…" I trailed off. I couldn't say it.

"Yes," he whispered. "Don't worry. I'm going to stop him."

"How?" I replied in a quiet voice.

"I'll have to stop him outside, when he approaches her," Edward replied, sounding annoyed. "If I scare him now, he'll know there's something abnormal about me."

I nodded, feeling as if I'd quite like to murder the man myself.

Edward and I moved across the bar back to the counter. Edward sat down beside me, keeping a close eye on both the young woman and the man who was stalking her.

"Any signs on the creepo yet?" I asked, pulling out my phone. There were no new messages.

"No," Edward sounded annoyed. He seemed to consider something. "Why don't you reply to him?"

"What?" I asked in shock.

"Probably not the best solution, I know," Edward admitted. "But if you text him, he'll check his phone. Or his phone will make some kind of noise, some indication of receiving a text."

"Good point," I said, pulling out my phone.

"What should I say?" I asked quietly, as I tapped in the 'reply' box.

"Something generic. Who are you, how did you get this number… something along those lines."

I nodded, typed into the box.

Sender: (Leah)

Message: Why the fuck are you harassing me, arsehole?

I showed the message to Edward for a second, before pressing the send button and waiting.

Edward's head snapped up, moved to look at three different people. Two males, and the young woman who was supposedly being stalked when she left the pub, had pulled out their phones.

"No," Edward sighed in defeat. "Nobody."

I sighed in turn. I was hopeful that the whole thing would be sorted out by Friday, Harry's birthday.

We had to wait at the pub until the woman left. I waited inside, whilst he followed the man who was stalking her out. He returned after a moment with a rather grim smile on his face.

I didn't ask him what had happened.

XxXxXxXxX

When we arrived back at the Cullen house, it seemed the rest of the family had returned to their quarters. I could hear noises that I didn't wish to hear issuing from the rooms, so I put a couple of ear plugs into my ears whilst I showered and got ready for bed.

Edward was lounging on one side of his bed. He was reading a book, a Medicine Journal apparently. I smiled at him as I emerged from the bathroom with a towel wrapped around my hair. I blow dried it quickly, before finally taking out the ear plugs.

"I'm sorry we didn't find him," Edward told me. He looked guilty, as if it was his own fault.

"It wasn't your fault, silly," I replied. "Don't blame yourself."

"I do though," Edward smiled sadly.

"Silly," I scoffed with a smile. "Don't worry. We'll find him and when we do, you'll kill him. Everything will work out fine, Ed."

He smiled.

I leaned back in the bed, and Edward went to turn out the light. A second later, he returned to sit by me on the bed and gently touched the small of my back through the duvet. I felt the coolness of his skin through the fabric. It was somehow comforting.

"Good night, Leah," Edward whispered.

XxXxXxXxX

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	31. Harry

Chapter 31 – Harry

Friday dawned as a clear day. The sky was blue, but the sun was obscured by a bunch of grey clouds. It hadn't rained overnight, which was a rare occurrence. Despite the good weather, my miserable mood was not affected as I trailed down the stairs slowly, dressed entirely in black.

"Morning Leah," Seth said, sounding exceptionally dismal. He was eating toast, rather than enthusiastically attempting to cook pancakes as he normally did on a morning.

"Seth," I replied weakly.

Paul had given me the day off work for the… occasion. He knew about Harry, and he was sympathetic. Although I didn't want his sympathy or his pity, I still appreciated the fact that he cared enough to try and understand. It made me feel bad for calling Paul a dickhead or an arsehole in my head.

Mom had the day off of work, too. She was quiet, watching the news whilst nibbling on a slice of toast. When she saw me enter the lounge, she gestured for me to sit on the couch beside her, which I did immediately. Mom wrapped her arm around my shoulders and gave me a gentle hug. I resisted the tears that threatened to fill my eyes, fought for composure.

"Are you sure that you want to do this alone?" Mom asked me, looking right into my eyes, obviously trying to determine whether I was sure or not by my facial expression.

"I'm sure," I said quietly.

Silence followed my words. Mom nodded her head, obviously accepting whatever was written in my eyes. She returned her attention to the TV, though I could see she wasn't focused on the News. She was thinking about Harry.

I left the house at nine o'clock exactly, crossing the treaty line just ten minutes later. Edward's silver Volvo was parked in its usual spot – he was waiting for me. I almost smiled at the thought. Edward was such a good friend, it was almost unbelievable.

I'd told him about Harry the day after we visited the club…

XxXxXxXxX

"_What's wrong, Leah?" Edward asked me quietly, his eyes boring into my own. I could tell that he was invading my mind, trying to work out what the problem was without my cooperation. I repressed the urge to roll my eyes at him and yell about my privacy. I just didn't feel like I had the energy to. _

_ "I need to tell you something," I told him in a quiet voice. _

_ "What's wrong?" he repeated. _

_ I didn't respond, considered how I was going to word what I needed to say. I sat down on Edward's bed, gestured for him to sit next to me. He ignored me, pulled up a chair and sat opposite, just waiting_ _for me to speak. _

_ "I… well…" I didn't know how to start. _

_ "From the beginning," he said gently. _

_ "You know that I went out with Sam for a long time," I began unsurely. Edward just nodded patiently. "Well… we were pretty serious about our relationship. And a couple of years ago, one morning… I found myself suffering from… morning sickness." _

_ Silence followed my words. Edward just gazed at me blankly. _

_ "I had a child. It was mine and Sam's, obviously. And I loved him. I found out the sex, my own little baby boy. I named him Harry, after my Dad. I looked after him, and Sam seemed very happy to find that he had a son, despite the fact that we were both still teenagers. He was so happy, he proposed." _

_ Edward was completely focused on me, not commenting, just listening. _

_ "My Mom and Seth supported me all the way. Neither of them tried to push me into having an abortion. I wouldn't have anyway," I whispered the last sentence, feeling my eyes fill. I closed my eyes for a second, warding off tears. _

_ "Take your time," Edward said, his voice so quiet that I wondered if he had actually spoken. _

_ After a moment, I reopened my eyes and continued, my voice shaky. _

_ "But Sam left. He disappeared for two weeks, and I panicked. Mom and Seth helped me, told me not to worry and that they would find him. They were both worried about the baby's health whilst I was panicking over Sam." _

_ "And then, I was so happy when he returned," I laughed bitterly. "But he wouldn't tell me where he'd been, and he was distant. One day, he took me to First Beach, and he held my hand. My engagement ring shone brightly on my finger. I remember that very clearly," I whispered. _

_ "And then, he broke up with me. And he left me there, on the beach, in the dark to find my own way home. I was fine, obviously. So was Harry. Mom and Seth were furious though. Seth wanted to murder him, but when he saw how upset the idea of Sam dying made me, he told me that he wouldn't," I said. _

_ "Then, Emily arrived in La Push. And she was kind about my baby, gentle and went to some of my scans with me. I got along with her fine until she met Sam. Then, the two of them were inseparable. I caught them kissing. It was obvious she was Sam's love first, my cousin second." _

_ "I didn't understand at the time," I admitted. "I didn't understand at all. Mom severed all ties with Emily. So did Seth. They were both furious on my behalf. I just felt broken, like I was deserted. _

"_Every time I saw Emily or Sam after they had gotten together, anger grew inside me. It continued to grow, build and build," I said. "I didn't understand that, either. Not until Sam knocked at my door to speak to me. The sight of him just made me so furious; I started to shake from head to toe. He was going to leave, which only made me more furious. I had no control over my body – I only had enough time to wrap my arms around Harry before I exploded." _

"_I guess you know what happened," I whispered. "Harry was lost. I had a miscarriage. It was impossible to carry a child through the phasing. My body snapped and my bones changed shape. Harry was crushed, apparently. They said he wouldn't have felt any pain, though." _

_Edward stared at me blankly as I finished my story. _

"_I just wish Sam could've recognised the signs. If he had, maybe Harry would be healthy and happy now. It feels like it was my own fault, for not being able to control my temper. But I feel like it was Sam's fault, because if he stayed to help with Harry, none of this would have happened. Maybe that's why I feel so bitter about everything do to with wolves or Sam," I added. _

_Edward suddenly moved forwards to hug me tightly. The feel of his cool body comforted me yet again. I relaxed into the embrace. Edward moved to press his cold lips against my forehead. He repeated the gesture several times, before gently holding my shoulders and looking into my eyes. There were barely ten centimetres between us; I could feel his cold breath fan against my face. _

"_It was not your fault. You had absolutely no way of knowing about the phasing. I am so, so sorry," he added the last sentence in a whisper, kissing my forehead and hugging me tightly again. "I will never let anything like that happen to you ever again," he whispered quietly, hugging me tightly. _

_And then, I let out my tears, comforted by my best friend. _

XxXxXxXxX

Edward drove at a much slower pace than usual, just under one hundred miles per hour. The Volvo was silent as we drove. We didn't speak to each other, just sat in silence. I looked out of the window, the scenery flashing by at top speed. The flowers in my hand were occasionally jostled by the speed. I'd taken lavenders, Edward chose some pale white roses.

The journey to Forks' Cemetery usually took around thirty minutes. With Edward's love for speed, it only took fifteen minutes.

I pulled my coat around me tightly, against the cold wind that blew as I climbed out of the car. Edward was dressed in a long black trench coat and dark wash jeans. He had a dark blue scarf around his neck. He took my hand almost immediately – the cool temperature was instantly soothing. I exhaled shakily as we moved towards the black iron gates.

_Forks Cemetery, _the sign read.

I pushed open the gate. It creaked, the only sound other than the gusting wind. Edward and I entered the Cemetery, closed the gate behind us as we moved down the cobbled path.

Harry's grave was at the very bottom of the graveyard, beneath a large oak tree. It was quite secluded, but not apart from the other headstones.

"Here," I said quietly, moving left at the largest oak tree in the Cemetery. Edward's hand squeezed my own gently – I almost smiled at him, but it turned into a grimace at the last moment.

We continued walking down the path for a couple of moments, finally stopping at the headstone. I just gazed down at it for a moment, memories threatening to overwhelm me. Tears filled my eyes as I gazed down at the headstone, reading the engraved words.

_Harry Clearwater, _

_ Cherished Son, _

_ Beloved Grandson, _

_ Adored Nephew, _

_ Rest In Peace _

I swallowed hard. Edward's grip tightened on my hand; I looked up through my tears and saw that he looked pained, incredibly so. He opened his arms as if he was going to offer a hug, but then seemed to change his mind. I just wanted to get my emotions under control. Then I could do what I needed to.

Edward placed the white roses on the grass before the headstone. I followed him, placing the lavender on the left. We both stepped back, said nothing.

"Can I have a moment?" I asked quietly. Edward nodded, retreated at human pace. Although he would be able to hear me from the car, I knew he would try not to listen.

Once Edward was far enough away for me to feel a little more comfortable, I advanced on the grave and gently touched the stone. It was smooth, protected by the oak tree above.

"I'm sorry," I whispered.

My lament was longer than usual. Edward waited until he was certain that I'd finished before returning to stand by my side. He took in the tears that dripped down my cheeks, the way that I was clinging to the headstone as if my life depended on it. Then, he gently wrapped his arms around me and just hugged me tightly, lightly squeezing my upper arms.

"Let's go," I murmured quietly.

Edward left his arm around my shoulders as we walked. I leaned into him and wrapped one of my arms around his waist.

We climbed back into the car and Edward turned up the heat as he turned on the engine. He turned to look at me – his eyes were dark, black.

"Are you okay?" he asked me quietly.

"I'm always okay," I whispered in response.

"It isn't a weakness to admit you're not," he replied gently.

"I know," I said, my eyes filling with tears again.

Edward and I drove back in silence. Rain had begun to fall slowly, fog formed in the air.

Then, Edward spoke in a small voice.

"It wasn't your fault."

XxXxXxXxX


	32. A Night To Remember

**A.N: I found the last chapter too sad to put up on its own - personally - so here's a more light hearted one.**

Chapter 32 – A Night To Remember

Leah,

I'm going to be out working for the rest of the day – a double shift, according to my boss. I'm being paid for both shifts plus double overtime, so we can spend some time together at the weekend or something. I've missed you since you met the Cullens – it's good that you have friends your own age now, but you've been distant since you met Edward.

Talk to you later, sweetheart,

Mom xx

My Mom was never really that good at the whole 'quality time with your kids' thing. She was always there for me, always ready to comfort and stand up for me when I needed it, but she never really grasped the bonding time part of being a parent. I frequently missed it as a kid, when I saw families going out bowling together, or gardening, or even just to First Beach.

It was something to look forward to; finally spending some quality time with my Mom. I couldn't really remember the last time that we'd really spoken about normal stuff.

My phone rang in my pocket.

_Sender: Edward _

_ Message: I'll tell Alice to cancel her shopping trip then. E x. _

I smiled wryly to myself. Of course, Edward was keeping tabs on me. Apparently, despite the fact that I wasn't breakable or anything like Swan was, he still worried about my safety. I thought it was silly – or that he was just making excuses to keep checking up on me.

"Hi Leah!" Seth said enthusiastically as I made my way downstairs. I grinned in response, mockingly saluted my little brother.

"Hey Seth," I replied lazily, sitting down on one of the barstools in the kitchen. Seth was, as always, trying to make pancakes. In fairness, he had dramatically improved since he first attempted to cook them. I shuddered inwardly at the memory.

"I think I figured it out," he said enthusiastically. "You have to flip them, don't you!"

I laughed out loud at my brother's idiotic tendencies. Of course, it would be something obvious that he forgot. I leaned over the counter to ruffle his hair affectionately.

"Yeah, Seth," I replied, barely stopping myself laughing. "You have to flip the pancakes."

He grinned, dished up the batter. It tasted lovely, much better than it usually did. I stuck my thumbs up with a grin, stuffing the pancakes into my mouth in a _very _ladylike fashion. He dug in, mimicking my actions.

"You going to the Cullen's today?" Seth asked, once our plates were empty and we were both relaxing in our chairs.

I nodded, licking the syrup from my fingers.

"Mind if I tag along?" he asked, seeming wary of my answer.

"Sure thing, Seth," I replied immediately. "Edward loves your company you know. He thinks you have a 'kind' mind, or something," I rolled my eyes. "I'll never understand how his brain works."

"Should I be insulted by that comment?" a voice from behind me asked. I jumped out of my skin, a scream coming from my mouth as I reflexively grabbed the frying pan from the stove and turned around, yielding the thing as a weapon.

"Have you heard of knocking?" I asked breathlessly when I realised it was Edward himself.

"You told me to treat your house like my own," Edward replied, sounding amused. "Do you retract that?"

I rolled my eyes. "Maybe."

"Is that a yes or a no?" Edward taunted me, grinning and quirking an eyebrow curiously.

I glared at him.

"Shut up."

Edward laughed – so did Seth. They were all against me. I glared at them both, dunked the frying pan in the sink and gestured for Seth to start cleaning up.

He held his hands up in the air in shock.

"Hey!" he complained. "I made breakfast, you should clean up." "I make dinner every night, you never clean up," I replied immediately.

"Not every night," Seth said stubbornly. "You go to the Cullen's."

"About once a week!" I protested.

"More like three times," Seth argued.

"Usually twice," Edward said smoothly, moving towards the barstool that I had vacated and taking a seat. He spun around in a circle.

"Shut up," both Seth and I said at the same time, both of us glaring at him. Edward shrugged, a smile forming on his face. He spun around again.

"You're doing it," I said firmly. "End of."

"No!" Seth snapped.

Before we could argue further, there was a gust of wind that ruffled our hair. Edward had disappeared from his seat. Before I could even look to see where he had gone, he was seated back on the barstool, spinning around again.

Seth and I both looked to the sink. The frying pan was clean, gleaming subtly under the fluorescents. I looked at Edward, raised an eyebrow questioningly.

He shrugged in turn. "It takes much less time when I do it."

I chuckled. "Thanks Ed."

"No problem," he returned.

I ran upstairs to get my hoodie and bag, before quickly running downstairs again. Edward was already out of the door, revving the engine of his Volvo. So was Seth – he was sat in the passenger seat, grinning wildly.

I locked up, climbed into the back without complaint. Seth loved fast cars, and I hadn't allowed him to use my Ducati yet. I probably wouldn't, actually. The Ducati had quickly become my pride and joy.

Edward revved the engine – the tyres squealed loudly as the car shot forwards. The engine growled in turn, and I could only imagine what the speedometer looked like at that moment.

"Whooo!" Seth yelled from the front seat.

"You should see it with the roof down!" Edward yelled over the engine.

I didn't know the roof of the Volvo went down. I didn't think Volvo had done that yet.

"Rosalie," Edward told me. I almost laughed. Of course.

It took barely ten minutes to get to the Cullen's house. Edward – being the show off that he was – executed a sharp U-turn and slid into the space beside Alice's Porsche and Rosalie's new McLaren. I was desperate to have a ride in a McLaren. They looked beyond fantastic.

"I'll ask Rosalie about that," Edward said as we got out of the car. I was steady on my feet, being used to Edward's insane driving, but Seth seemed a little unsteady. He shook it off pretty quick though, moving towards the Cullen mansion enthusiastically. Everything about Seth seemed to be enthusiastic, even in the morning.

Carlisle and Esme were in the kitchen, obviously just spending time together. I could smell that Esme was baking cookies, probably for Carlisle to take to the hospital. Esme loved to cook for the children who were in, because – as most humans said – hospital food was vile.

"Good morning Seth, Leah," Carlisle said as we passed the kitchen.

"Morning Carlisle," I said cheerily. Seth gave a wave, before moving into the lounge. Once there, I heard Emmett give a shout of something. A second later, I heard gunshots coming from the TV. I smiled to myself.

"And how are you this morning?" he asked, seeming genuinely curious rather than just applying the formalities.

"I'm good," I replied. "Edward's going to show me your supply of instruments," I smiled at the thought. I'd visited the Cullen's house a couple of weeks ago, and when I arrived Edward was nowhere to be found. I journeyed up the stairs to find him at the very top of the house, playing his guitar. Edward promised that he would show me the instruments properly another time. "You?"

"I'm very well, thank you," Carlisle seemed amused at my response, trying to hide his smile.

"Come on then," Edward said, tugging on my arm. He led me up several flights of stairs, finally stopping in the music room. His Jimi Hendrix Original was mounted on the wall alongside another guitar. It was black, with 'Richwood' written across the top.

"Whose is that?" I asked, eyeing the guitar. It was an acoustic rather than an electric, but it was still a pretty beautiful instrument.

"Jasper's," Edward smiled. "He seemed very taken with the idea of playing after he heard me learning this," he gestured to his own guitar. "Alice loves to hear him play, too. He's already written her something."

I looked around the room. Despite Edward being the musical member of the family, everybody seemed to have their own instrument. I saw a clarinet, an oboe, a tenor saxophone – which was Emmett's! – an alto sax and a flute. My gaze finally stopped on a violin case.

"It's a viola, actually," Edward corrected me. He moved over to the case fluidly, opened it and then held out the instrument to me. The strings gleamed, as did the mahogany body. I gazed at the instrument for a moment, before realising that Edward wanted me to take the thing from him.

"I don't play," I felt a bit ridiculous admitting that, since I'd appeared so taken with the idea of a violin.

"It doesn't matter," Edward replied calmly.

"What if I break it?" I asked warily.

"You won't," he promised.

"But what if I do?" I protested nervously.

"Trust me," Edward said, gazing into my eyes. I cracked, exhaled nervously and took the instrument from him. It was surprisingly light. I gently balanced it on my neck.

"Like this," Edward told me, adjusting the instrument for me. He also adjusted my hold on the neck, and then passed me the bow. Apparently I was holding that wrong, too, because he took hold of my fingers and adjusted them.

"What do I do now?" I asked unsurely, once Edward had backed off and was looking at me expectantly.

"Just lightly bring the bow across the strings," he said calmly. I nervously did as he said, placing the bow at the thickest string and lightly swiping the bow across it. The note rang out through the room, deep and soothing.

Edward smiled, and began instructing me. He positioned my hands in different positions on the strings, and the time flew by. Before I knew what had happened, Seth was knocking at the door and yelling a 'goodbye.'

"See you later Seth," I called in response. I heard him tripping back down the stairs quickly.

"How long have we been at it?" I asked curiously.

"About an hour," Edward replied, smiling. "You've done well. I'm a little surprised, though. I didn't really expect you to enjoy the violin. You don't seem like the type."

I grinned. "And what type would that be?"

"Quiet, polite, easy to please…" he recited, grinning.

"And I'm not any of those things?" I asked, teasing.

"You and I both know you will never be any of those things," Edward grinned at me.

We shared a smile.

"Shall we go downstairs?" I asked.

"I'm not sure that's a good idea," Edward hedged.

"Why?" I asked curiously. It wasn't often that Edward looked nervous.

He gazed down at me unsurely.

"Emmett's cooking."

XxXxXxX

"I think I got it this time," Emmett greeted me as I walked into the kitchen. My grip on Edward's hand was vice like – I wasn't going through this on my own.

The food on the table actually looked edible this time. He'd done a batch of cookies, and some cupcakes. They were covered with butter cream and glace icing – it varied with each cake.

"Aw, Emmy," I said, grinning. "You've done a good job. Thank you."

"Seth liked them too," Emmett said enthusiastically. "But he said you'd probably want them after lunch… apparently you don't like sugar in the morning. How can you not like sugar in the morning?"

"I'm just weird, I guess," I grinned.

The stuff Emmett had baked was surprisingly delicious. I was confused as to why they were so good until Edward leaned over and told me that Esme had helped him. A lot, apparently.

After I'd finished both lunch and the desert, I sat with Edward on the loveseat. I poked Edward's side every so often, amused when he would twitch or glare at me. Emmett was playing on Modern Warfare 3.

Alice would occasionally run into the room holding an item of clothing. She'd toss it at me, request that I held it up in front of the respective body part on which it belonged, and then disappear from the room with the item of clothing, muttering angrily under her breath. I was going to question her, but Edward quickly advised me not to.

At half past one in the afternoon, my phone rang twice in quick succession. They were both texts – the first one was from my beloved unknown texter.

Sarcasm.

_Sender: Unknown (0011223344) _

_ Message: I missed you on Wednesday. You didn't see me either, I take it. It's a shame, babe. Come back soon. _

I rolled my eyes. The guy was such a creeper, it was almost unnatural. If I ever met him, I would do my best to send his nose back into his brain.

"So he was there," Edward said in wonder, obviously he'd read the text over my shoulders.

"Apparently so."

Edward ran his hands through his hair. "We're going to have to go back."

"Why?" I groaned. Clubbing had gotten boring.

"It's the only thing we've got to go on," Edward replied. He didn't sound thrilled either.

I didn't say anything else.

I opened the second message.

_Sender: Paulina _

_ Message: Hey, you know I said you could have today off? Well your cover cancelled, so I really need you to come in. Sorry, it's rubbish, I get it. Anyway, see you in ten. P. _

I groaned aloud as I finished reading the message.

"What's wrong?" Edward asked from beside me.

"Paul wants me to go into work," I murmured in annoyance.

"You don't have to," Edward said at once.

"But I should," I replied.

"You could say your phone was out of charge or that you were out of the house. The list of excuses is endless. Besides, it's such short notice it seems like a plausible excuse – maybe you had plans and you were out."

I was surprised at Edward's naughty streak. And though I was sorely tempted to just remain lying on Edward's comfy couch, Paul was actually being a nice guy to me, and I'd feel bad if I ditched him now.

I sighed, grabbed my hoodie from where it rested on the arm of the couch.

"I'm gonna go," I said, standing up and pulling it on.

"Aw," Edward complained. "Do you want a lift?"

"Sure," I said, with a small smile.

XxXxXxXxX

Work was long. Granted, it wasn't as long as it usually was, but the day seemed to drag on. It was much better now that Paul was actually trying to be a nice guy, though. At least it didn't seem like he was trying to find an excuse to fire me at every moment.

Edward picked me up at the treaty line, in the dark. I sent my Mom a message, saying that I would be back at the house in the morning.

"How was work?" he greeted.

"Long," I replied. "How was your day?"

"Long."

We both chuckled.

The ride back to the Cullen's was thrilling as always. Edward had brought the Aston rather than the Volvo – you could feel the difference in the way that the car moved. I wasn't sure how that worked.

We skidded to a halt on the drive, both of us jumped out of the car and raced into the house, Edward locking the car behind him. Of course, he beat me – only because I wasn't in wolf form – and I changed quickly into my night stuff.

Alice.

My usual tank top and shorts had been replaced by some silk pyjamas. They were deep blue, midnight blue. I didn't comment – but Edward looked half surprised, half amused as I stalked out of the bathroom and grumpily climbed into bed.

He pulled out his book again, sat on the bed beside me and leaned into the pillows. This was fast becoming habit.

"Goodnight," Edward said quietly.

"Night," I replied sleepily.

I was out like a light.

XxXxXxXxX

**AN: Yes, it is a filler one, but don't worry - the drama is coming very very soon (within the next two chapters) **

**Aim:fifteens reviews. Then you get the next one.**

**We got loads of reviews last week so thanks! **


	33. Shocker

A.N: Glad to hear that so many people were looking forwards to the drama. I got so many reviews with 'please update' so I thought, why not? Lol

Warning: Creeper and drug use

Chapter 33 – Shocker

"Alice… I know I agreed to let you dress me again… but if you try and force me into wearing that, you will not give me clothes ever again," I threatened, staring Alice down. She gazed back at me with wide, golden eyes. Her favourite pout was present on her face – clearly she was expecting it to work. Despite my softened emotions towards Alice, the pout still had no affect on me whatsoever.

Or, maybe it was what she was demanding of me.

The vivid pink dress that Alice held in one hand was truly the most hideous dress I had ever seen. I knew for a fact that it would make me look unnaturally tall and I always hated wearing pink. It made me feel like everyone could see me. I didn't exactly enjoy random strangers staring at me.

Throughout the week, I had received more of the creepy texts.

You look good in red, babe.

I've missed you, babe.

When are you next coming to see me?

You have long legs, babe.

The list went on. Edward was furious, determined to kill the person responsible.

I focused on the real world.

"Please?" Alice pleaded when she saw I wasn't going to budge.

"No," I replied firmly.

She pouted, moved back into her closet. A second later, she emerged holding a red dress. It was similar the dress I had worn on my first clubbing trip, but not exactly the same. The difference was subtle, but I did at least like this dress.

"This one?" she asked.

"Yes," I said, taking the dress from her. I quickly zipped myself into it – Alice turned the other way, respecting my privacy – and checked my reflection. Then, I slipped on the red satin ballet pumps that Alice had produced, and again deemed myself ready.

"Do you see the outcome?" I asked hopefully.

"Nothing yet," Alice sighed wistfully. "I'm not sure whether that's a good thing or a bad thing. At least Edward won't be killing anyone tonight at the moment."

I chuckled.

We descended down the stairs together, moved towards the lounge. Edward was already there, leaning against the far wall casually, glaring at Emmett, who was laughing his ass off. I raised my eyebrows, trying to figure out what was so funny – when I saw what Edward was wearing.

Emmett may have found it funny, but I found it pretty damn hot. The leather pants that he wore clung to his legs in an odd way. The ladies in the club would definitely be breathless this evening.

"I'm glad someone thinks it looks okay," Edward grumbled, pushing himself up from his stance against the wall. He smiled at me, a genuine smile.

I was still a little freaked out by the leather pants.

XxXxXxXxX

We walked into the club together, hand in hand as always. It was just habit for us now, to have some kind of physical contact wherever we went. Since my talk with Jacob, it seemed that every time we touched a thrill went through my heart, setting it off at a rocket speed. Edward would smirk every time that happened – my feelings were so plaintively obvious, it was ridiculous.

"Leah!" Oscar said from behind the bar as Edward and I sat down. "Long time no see."

"Yeah," I agreed. "How've you been Oscar?"

"Pretty good," he agreed. "I've missed you, babe."

I chuckled nervously – I hadn't missed the way that Edward tensed as Oscar called me 'Babe.'

"So, what'll you have?" Oscar asked me, putting a glass down on the counter before me. He raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"The usual," I replied immediately.

Oscar nodded.

"I won't be a moment," Edward said silkily from above me.

"Where are you –" I started to ask, but he had already vanished into the crowds of people dancing. I let out a noise of irritation – it seemed we couldn't enjoy an evening without him going off someplace, trying to play the hero.

I took a sip of my drink, savoured the taste and looked around the pub at people dancing. It seemed Edward wasn't the only person wearing leather pants that night, though he was definitely the only one who looked as good as he did in them.

I really hoped he didn't hear that.

Five minutes passed, which was quickly stretching into ten. There was no sign of Edward. I pushed my glass back a little on the bar, let out a huff of irritation.

"I'll be back in a minute, Oscar," I told him. Without waiting for an answer, I climbed from the bar stool and disappeared into the crowd, my nose catching Edward's scent from time to time. There was no trail for me to follow.

"I'm here," a voice whispered from behind me. I jumped out of my skin, hand flying to my throat in shock. Edward chuckled – the sound was low and forced.

"What's wrong," I demanded.

"Nothing."

"Don't give me that shit!" I replied quickly. "Tell me."

"It's nothing," he said firmly, forcing the word 'nothing.'

For the first time since I'd met him, Edward seemed scary.

He definitely heard that thought – the cold expression dropped from his face instantly and he ran a hand through his hair, pinched the bridge of his nose in agitation.

"There are some men… having rather… rude… thoughts… about you," he forced out. He exhaled harshly.

"Is that the problem?" I asked, amused. "Edward, I'm a big girl. I can look after myself. Besides… I'm not exactly taken," I sniggered.

Edward literally looked as if I'd slapped him in the face.

"Calm down," I said, amused. "I was joking."

"I hope so," he replied, sounding incredibly quiet. Before I could ask why, somebody tapped on my shoulder.

"Umm… hello," the man behind me said. He had short black hair, green eyes and a nervous expression on his face. "I just saw you from across the bar… and I was wondering if I could buy you a drink?"

Before I could reply, Edward's arm snaked around my waist, pulled me against him. Although the movement could seem forceful, he was incredibly gentle in the way that he moved me.

"My apologies, but she's taken," Edward said, his voice incredibly harsh as he glared at the man. The vampire-ish expression was enough to scare off any human. The man quickly retreated, muttering hasty apologies as Edward pressed his lips against my cheek.

Like he was marking his territory.

"Edward!" I snapped angrily, yanking out of his grip and glaring at him. "What the hell was that about? We're not together! He seemed like a genuinely nice bloke!"

Edward just muttered unintelligibly under his breath.

"Don't be such a twat Ed, let me make my own choices," I snapped, stalking off back to the bar.

I sat down, picked up my drink and drained the rest of the glass in one. It burned my throat intensely as it went down, and a second later, it seemed like my vision had slanted.

"Ugh," I groaned as my head started to pound.

"Leah?" somebody said. I had to blink a couple of times before my vision returned to normal.

It was Oscar.

"Yeah?" I asked, my speech slightly slurred.

"You okay?" he asked unsurely.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I said, as the weird feeling began to go off a little.

"Okayy…" he looked at me oddly. "Could you give me a hand in the back? We're out of today's special in the actually bar… the crates are kind of heavy…"

I laughed. "Wuss."

"Please?" he asked, jutting his lower lip out.

I grinned. "Sure."

I moved over the bar, standing up beside Oscar. I staggered to the side suddenly – Oscar grabbed my hand to steady me and looked at me in concern.

"Are you sure you're okay?" he asked me. "Do you want me to call your friend back or something?"

"It's fine," I replied impatiently. "Let's get this stuff."

I followed Oscar into the back of the bar – he opened the door for me, gestured for me to enter first in a mocking way.

I entered the dark, musty back room and looked for a light switch. I flicked it on, but only two of the fluorescents flashed on. One of the two buzzed and died.

"Wow. This is quite a place," I said. "So, where's this special brew?"

I turned around when Oscar didn't reply.

He was locking the door firmly, securing it in place. He turned slowly, menacingly, and his eyes gleamed with a frenzied look, and for a split second, he just looked insane.

Before I could even speak, he laughed – the sound echoed around the room eerily.

"You're hard to get hold of, babe," he told me though his laughter.

Something clicked into place in my mind.

Babe.

The freaky texts I'd gotten through the week.

You look good in red, babe.

You have long legs, babe.

I suppose you don't want to see me. That's a shame. I'm missing you, babe.

He'd always called me babe. Oscar had always called me babe.

And now, I was locked in a store cupboard, on my own, with a fucking psychopath.

A.N: Reviews may inspire me to update!

Aim- 15 reviews. Yes it is more. This chapter was dramatic lol. And hard to write.


	34. Psychopathic Behaviour

**A.N: Apologies for the lateness; as some of you may know, if you read my other fic (A Siren's Call) I had extreme writer's block whilst writing this one. Hopefully I've managed to do this justice... **

**DEDICATED: Alice825 for her birthday. If any of yous have birthdays let me know and I'll do a dedication, m'kay? Thanks for kicking me off my butt and getting me to tackle the WB Alice :)**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 34 – Psychopathic Behaviour<strong>

A thousand different emotions coursed through me as I listened to Oscar's maniacal laughter. The way that the lights seemed to flicker, the darkness and the stagnant stench of the room all fit the scene; fit the situation that I found myself in. The realisation of where I was and what was happening hit me again.

I was locked in a store cupboard with a maniac.

"You're beautiful," Oscar told me, approaching me slowly. His feet tapped lightly against the floorboard; the sound was ominous, like a dripping tap in the middle of the night.

"Don't come any closer," I threatened, my voice surprisingly steady given the situation. I was a shape shifter; I wouldn't die here, I knew that much. But the idea of being stuck in a store cupboard with a psycho unsettled me, made me uneasy. My mind was moving at top speed, thinking of different scenarios, ways to escape.

"You're feisty," he commented, still approaching. "I like that in a woman."

He was barely two metres way from me; I started to feel claustrophobic. My heart accelerated in spite of myself; I prepared to fight him, to knock him down. I knew the tactics; knee him in the goodies, as he doubled over knee him in the forehead and push him down. Then, kick him until he stops moving.

"Damn it," I cursed, my voice low. Where the fuck was Edward? If he wasn't such a possessive bastard, I wouldn't be stuck in the situation that I found myself in. I didn't even understand what the big deal was about a guy hitting on me.

"You've guessed it, haven't you?" Oscar stopped walking. His head tilted to one side in concentration, his eyebrows furrowed in thought as he examined me with wide, icy eyes.

"Guessed what?" I snapped. It seemed Oscar had expected my plans to _violently injure_ him; he'd stopped far enough away that I felt threatened, but I couldn't knee him in the balls.

"Who was behind the texts… and the disappearances… and everything else weird in this city," he added with a smirk. He looked proud of himself, sickeningly so. I felt the urge to punch him in the face, shatter his cheekbones. See how he felt about that.

"You," I replied, anger rising within me.

"Do you want to know how I did it?"

"Are you trying to act like some psychopathic villain from a kid's TV show? Because if you are, it's working," I snapped irritably.

"It's where I took my inspiration," Oscar said, sounding incredibly serious. I snorted.

His happy, yet calm expression suddenly dropped from his face, only to be replaced with a furiously – no, murderously – angry one. His eyes flashed with hatred, and he approached me a little more; still not close enough for me to make my move.

"Is there something funny?" he hissed at me. I felt his spittle on my face; shuddered violently.

When I didn't answer, he smiled again and began to speak.

"I slipped drugs into their drinks. That was why they were all so willing to leave the pub with me. I'm not stupid; I am an attractive man. I used it to my advantage; the women followed me, gave me what I wanted and then, I killed them," he smiled sadistically. "I tried the same thing with you. Most of the woman I wanted were like you, alone in the bar, hanging away from the crowd."

He paused for a moment, as if considering something.

"I tried the same thing with you," he said after a long silence. "Normally, a single sleeping pellet was enough to make them woozy, willing to do just about anything. But with you, you weren't affected. I saw your eyes go but a second later, you were fine again. I was confused; it worked on everybody. But not you."

I listened, calculating. As he talked, he seemed to edge closer to me subconsciously.

"So, I tried on your second trip to the bar, the first time you came after Christmas," Oscar said. "And there was no effect, despite the fact I'd added three of the pellets. You should have been knocked out for at least three days with that amount. Yet, you closed your eyes for about two seconds, and then you were fine again. You even danced."

I shifted my body slightly as he continued to move towards me.

"So, tonight. Well, I added an entire box. I was desperate for some kind of effect. You were different; there was nothing wrong with the sleeping pills. It was you. I just needed the proof at this point. When you staggered as you stood, I thought I'd finally gotten to you. But now, you're perfectly fine," he gestured to my body, seemed upset.

Suddenly, his upset expression morphed into that of a mad man, and he slyly flicked out a butterfly knife, held it to my throat. His hand was steady despite the fact that he could have killed me in under a second with such a sharp object.

"We're going to go outside now," Oscar said calmly. "And we're going to do exactly what all the other women have done with me. We're going to talk about how sexy I am, then we're going to enjoy our time together, and then I'm going to leave your corpse for the police to find in the morning. That sounds like a fun plan, doesn't it?" he asked, his voice a deathly whisper.

I didn't reply, swallowed hard as I tried to get my brain to respond in some way. Apparently you were just meant to do as the criminal asked in this kind of situation, but I really didn't see how that was better than being killed in the back room.

Maybe I could attract attention.

…And maybe he would kill the helpless person who had attempted to come to my aid as well. I let out a ragged breath, tried to formulate a different plan.

I settled for screaming Edward's name in my mind as loud as I possibly could.

"Doesn't it?" Oscar's voice sounded muted as he half growled the words, pressing the blade tightly against my throat. I felt it cut into my skin, felt a trickle of blood move down my neck and soak into my dress.

"Yes," I replied tightly, robotically.

_EDWARD! THERE IS A FUCKING PSYCHOPATH IN THIS BACK ROOM WITH ME! _

"Good," Oscar relaxed. "Now, it's going to be really difficult to leave if I've got my knife pressed into your neck," he lightly stroked a finger along the wound he'd left. "So we're going to use the back door. You're going to go first, and if you make a sudden movement, I will stop you. I always win, remember?"

I didn't respond to him, just walked slowly out of the door at the back of the store cupboard. My mind continued to scream at Edward, feeling ridiculous for needing help. My resolve tightened as we moved slowly down the back alleyway – I would fight him and I would win.

We took several turnings, but I could easily remember the way back to the pub.

Finally, midway down the seventh alleyway that we'd turned down, Oscar stopped, pulling me to a halt by the back of my dress.

"You're different," he savoured the words on his tongue as he swung me around so that he could look into my eyes quizzically.

"Well done," the spitting, sarcastic words escaped me before I could stop them.

I automatically cringed, expecting a knife to be suddenly lodged into my stomach.

Instead, Oscar laughed heartily. "I admire your spirit. You're incredibly feisty; it's refreshing. Most of the women just plead and beg for their lives. I like this spot; it adds more suspense."

The knife was suddenly at my throat again.

"I want you to beg," he whispered in my ear. His breath was too warm; it stank of stale alcohol. I winced at the scent, tried to loosen his grip on my throat. In response, his grip tightened, cutting off my air supply for a couple of moments.

_Think, think, think! _I mentally yelled at myself as my mind went into overdrive, thinking up every single self defence course that I'd ever been on.

_Breaking your opponent's nose in the correct way can kill them; you need to send their nose back into their brain… _

_ Knee them in the balls, then as they double over reflexively repeat your actions and knee them in the forehead. Once they're on the ground, kick them until they can't move… _

My mind came up blank as I tried to think of a way to escape clutches when there was a knife at your throat.

I decided to improvise.

_Elbow them in the stomach as hard as you can… when they double over, winded, knock the weapon out of their hands. Kick it away. Then, bash the opponent's head into the nearest brick wall as hard as you can. _

I repeated my actions, knocking my elbow roughly into Oscar's stomach. He gasped, grip on the knife loosened as he doubled over. Then, my hand flew out to hit him roughly over the head; the knife dropped from his grasp. I kicked it away with all the strength in my body, feeling the adrenaline coursing through my veins as I finally proceeded to grab Oscar roughly in a headlock and smash his head into a brick wall.

"Come on," I snarled roughly as Oscar staggered, woozy. I lunged forwards, preparing to hit him in the stomach but his hands were in the way, defending himself. His hands made vices around my wrists as he swung me around, trying to gain momentum.

I roughly swung my leg up, my toes hitting Oscar's chin forcefully. There was a distinctive 'CRACK' as I performed this move, but before I had time to do a mini celebration, Oscar was diving wildly for the weapon I'd kicked away.

_Damn it, come on, come on, come on! _

I sprinted towards the knife, but it was too late. Oscar landed on the ground beside the knife and shakily picked up the weapon. I could see blood gushing freely from his head as he wobbled. His hand shook, unsteady around the handle of his blade.

"I never loose," he hissed angrily, as he brandished the knife towards me wildly. He was about five metres away from me, close enough for me to feel threatened.

"Yeah? Neither do I," I snarled, but I didn't make a move to attack. The butterfly knife was extremely sharp; I would be a fool to try and attack whilst he held such a dangerous weapon.

"You're special," Oscar mused. "You're different. Can you even die?" his words slurred.

Then, a wicked smile formed on his face.

"Why don't we find out?" he probed.

He spun the blade wildly in his hand; it glinted in the moonlight. Before I had the chance to duck or move out of the way, the blade was flying through the air towards me – towards my body. Towards my heart.

"No!" I heard a voice snarl from somewhere to my left. I was transfixed by the glinting blade, unable to move from its path as I felt shock overtake my body.

My vision was obscured temporarily; my gaze had been torn from the glinting blade of the butterfly knife. A mixture of fear and wonder filled my mind as I realised that all I could see was blackness – a black leather jacket.

"Don't you dare touch her," I heard Edward's voice snarl.

XxXxXxXxXxX

**A.N; Minor cliffy, apologies! Lol. Next chapter will hopefully be up soon - now you go and review. **

**ALSO: WE'RE ALMOST AT 400 REVIEWS. OH EM GEHH. We were at three hundred like a week ago or something! I would love you all if we could get up to four hundred in the next couple of chapters... that would be so fricking awesome! **


	35. Vengeance

**A.N: So I tried to upload this last night but FF was down - and it's been down all day! I was like 'whaaaattt is going on! GRR!' type reaction. Anyways, so I apologise for the long wait. Hopefully this chapter will please you all - you've all been wishing death upon oscar. I got mixed messages, some people wanting Eddie to do it and some wanting Leah to do it. Hopefully you guys will like the result I came up with. **

**ANONYMOUS REVIEW IRRITATED: **

**I'm sorry that Leah has appeared as a Mary Sue in the making for the past couple of chapters. Whilst I percieve Leah as a very strong, independant character I thought that these chapters would show that even she cannot handle everything alone. I understand why you're irritated at the idea of Leah being unable to take down a human by herself, but she is a shapeshifter - her sole purpose is to protect humans, not harm them On the contrary, I hope that this chapter proves that Leah's strength has not been lessened to justify Edward's presence in her life. Thanks for your comment though - I did take them into account when I wrote this chapter :) **

**Chapter 35 – Vengeance is Sweet **

For an incredibly long moment, I was firmly convinced that Edward was going to play the hero. Apparently he'd grown used to doing such a thing for Swan; he seemed to think that I needed the same treatment. Despite the fact that Edward would be able to torture the man, I wanted to be the one to kill him. I wanted to watch the light disappear from his eyes.

There was a long silence. Oscar's heart was flying in his chest as he warily looked from me to Edward. His gaze was focused more on Edward – who was holding the butterfly knife lightly between his fingers.

My gaze flickered to meet Edward's. His eyes were locked onto the knife, but as soon as I looked at him, he smirked broadly.

Confusion filled my mind. _What is he smirking about? _

Then, he held out the knife to me. The blade glinted as he held it. I was confused, above all things. Why the heck was he offering me the knife?

Awareness dawned on me, and a huge grin appeared on my face as I took the knife from his grasp. Edward looked slightly regretful as I flicked the knife in my fingers. I was desperate to find out how sharp the blade was – it looked beyond lethal, if that was possible.

"Thank you," I said to Edward with a smirk.

"I think you called it," he replied, a small smile on his face. I could see the regret in his eyes – Edward had sworn to me that he would murder the guy responsible for the texts. It must have been harder for him knowing I'd almost died at his hands.

I held up the blade, stepped in front of Edward and just looked at Oscar, waiting for him to twig what was about to happen.

A very high scream came from him and he shot back towards the exit of the alleyway, as fast as his legs could carry him.

I was faster. My werewolf speed and senses had returned to me with a vengeance. I wasn't just doing this for my own revenge; I was doing it for all the other women he'd managed to destroy.

"So you're scared now it's your turn?" I asked, appearing in front of him, holding the knife in the air.

He looked at me in horror, before shooting backwards; further into the alleyway. The blind terror in his eyes appealed to the sadistic side of me – I followed him into the dark alleyway, holding the knife aloft. Oscar dived behind a garbage bin, assuming I wouldn't be able to see him through the darkness.

"Boo," I hissed, pulling the garbage can away from him, exposing his crouched, terrified figure.

Before Oscar could scream, I smashed his body against the brick wall, pressed the butterfly knife to his throat as gently as I could. A gurgling whimper came from Oscar's throat.

"It doesn't feel as good on the other end of the line, does it?" I demanded, mimicking his actions as I pressed the blade against his throat as tightly as possible.

He didn't respond, just whimpered again.

"Does it?" I snarled, pressing the blade further in. I smelt blood, silently admired the sharpness of the knife.

"I'm sorry!" he pleaded as I released his body. He fell to the ground, panting heavily. I stood back, watched him cough and wheeze as he fought to catch his breath.

"No you're not," I snarled. "If you were truly sorry, it wouldn't take this to make you admit it."

Oscar lunged forwards, staggering towards me as he raised his fist to punch me.

I met his attack head on, grabbed his fist in my hand and twisted his arm heavily up his back. I saw his eyes water in pain as I tugged his arm further up his back – it was on the verge of dislocating.

"Please," he begged.

"This is just a piece of what you did to them," I hissed, before breaking his arm. A howl of agony left his throat – it abruptly cut off as I smashed his body against the bricks again, cutting off his windpipe.

His hands clawed uselessly at my own, trying to get me to loosen my grip.

I used my free hand to press the blade against his forehead.

"Here?" I asked. He let out another gurgling whimper. "Okay," I moved the knife left a little. "Here?"

He tried to shake his head. I released my grip on his throat, causing him to fall to the ground again. Then, I stomped roughly on his leg, causing him to howl as the bone cracked and shattered

I turned away from him to face Edward. Edward's expression was one of shock. His eyes were coal black as he looked at me, and he opened his mouth to comment on my behaviour. Before he could speak, his eyes widened in horror.

"Leah –" he gasped.

I brought my hand up in a fist, and as Oscar dived at me, his head hit against it – hard. I saw his eyes roll as he fell to the ground behind me.

"Yes?" I asked calmly.

Edward let out a laugh – it was a mixture of relief and pure shock.

"Is it wrong of me to find this sexy?" he asked.

I laughed, turned around and stomped on Oscar's hand. He didn't have the energy to make a noise of pain.

"How did you kill them, Oscar?" I asked, leaning over him.

He let out a groan, didn't reply.

"Tell me," I said calmly. "Otherwise I'll be forced to invent my own way."

"Through the heart," he wheezed.

I scoffed. "Don't lie to me. You're a sadistic psychopath."

"The neck," he edited.

"Are you sure?" I asked coolly.

He nodded. I turned to Edward.

"Is he sure?"

Edward shook his head. "He used to go around the edge of the neck and make a thin cut, then he'd break their arms and legs… then he'd break their toes one by one," he suddenly shuddered. "What a sick man you are."

"I'm going to take pity on you," I snarled. "But only because to repeat your actions would be unforgiveable."

I aimed the butterfly knife at his heart.

"Leah," Edward said from behind me as I was preparing to do the deed.

"Yes?" I asked, looking up.

"I don't want you…" he trailed off. "I want you to stay pure."

He looked at me with a pleading expression on his face.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"I don't want you to be a murderer," he admitted tightly.

"Isn't this enough?" I asked bitterly. "Doesn't this count as murder?"

"No," Edward said surely. "Punishment."

He looked at me, waited quietly for a response.

"Fine," I said, resigned. I tossed the butterfly knife to Edward. He crushed the weapon in his hands.

"Don't watch," he said.

For once, I didn't question him; just turned away. I focused my gaze on the back alley wall.

There was sickening crack, followed by silence.

XxXxXxXxX

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	36. Refurbished Edward

**A.N: Thanks for all the reviews – I'm up to 397 which is absolutely fabby. Okay, so I went on stats today, and I saw that 71 PEOPLE HAVE THIS STORY ON ALERTS. DOES THAT MEAN YOU ALL ACTUALLY READ? THAT WOULD BE SO AWESOME. Okay, I know I always beg but: **

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**(Cont at end just read, I know you want to) **

Chapter 36 – Refurbished Edward

I found myself staring blankly at the brick wall, my eyes glazed over. My eyes were desperate to find Edward's, but I knew that if I turned around, I'd suffer from nightmares for the next few weeks. I had a feeling that Edward's method of killing Oscar wasn't exactly the kindest. He would have made it painful, quick, but very painful. It was presumably gruesome to look at too.

"Edward?" I asked quietly. My voice was shaky; the silence was making me edgy. I was worried that Edward would turn into brooding Edward – I had a feeling he would. Edward had tried his hardest not to kill humans for such a long time – his record had been broken now. I wondered briefly if I should have done the deed.

"I'm okay," he replied, his voice steady as always. He was a vampire though; I couldn't judge his emotions on his voice. I was about to turn around to look at him, make the judgement on whether he was actually okay for myself, when he appeared in front of me.

"Are you?" he asked, pressing his palms against my cheeks. I hadn't realised that sweat had formed on my face – the coolness of his skin was comforting. I found myself wanting to lean into the touch.

"I'm fine," I replied. "Of course I'm fine."

"Leah, you just tortured a man," Edward said, as if worried for my sanity. I flinched at his words; despite the fact that Oscar was a psychopath who took advantage of women the fact that I had tortured him was not something that I was proud of.

"I'm fine," I repeated. Edward's thumb lightly stroked my cheek – for a moment I wondered what he was doing, before I just enjoyed the sensation. The coolness of his hands was incredibly comforting – the temperature contrasted oddly with my fiery temperature but I enjoyed it.

"Thank god," he whispered. Then, he took his hands from my cheeks and pulled me into a hug. My forehead rested against his chest as he crushed me to him, his stone cold arms not gentle. I could feel the healing ache of some bruises almost instantly. Edward didn't seem to care for once, just held me to him tightly.

"I was never in any danger. Besides, you know that I can take care of myself," I told him, moving my head so that I could look up at him. His coal black eyes bore into my own. He looked deathly serious, his mouth a thin line, brow creased in deep thought.

Edward sighed heavily. He pulled away from me – for the briefest of moments, I missed the feel of his cold arms around me. But I ignored that fact, looked up to see Edward pacing back and forth in front of me. He was careful not to move behind me so that I didn't look at Oscar by accident.

"I need to tell you something," he said quietly as he walked. He looked scared, his eyes wide. He ran a hand through his hair, exhaled heavily. His eyes flashed up to meet my own – the coal black orbs were wide with fear.

"What, Edward?" I asked quietly, my voice much gentler than usual.

"I," he let out a bitter laugh and ran his hands through his hair. "Well. I have no idea how to say this," he admitted. "I've never had to do this before. Ever."

"Edward?" I demanded my voice still gentle. He looked lost; something that Edward had never been since I'd met him. Even when Bella had abandoned him and he was alone, he never looked this confused and desperate.

"When I'm with you," he began. "It's like everything's okay again. Like I was never left for another person…"

"Edward, if this is about me being a really good friend, can it wait until we're out of here?" I asked him. I had a shrewd feeling it was a 'thanks for being there for me' kind of speech.

"No," he said calmly, though his voice seemed forced, incredibly deep and serious. "No, it's not about you being an amazing friend," he smiled at me, but his eyes still looked beyond nervous. "It's… ugh," he groaned.

"I've never seen you speechless," I mused.

"Yes, thank you," he said, flashing me a genuine smile. The expression disappeared as he contemplated how to say it. "I…"

"You…" I looked at him. I wrapped my arms around myself, starting to feel a bit of a chill from the cold.

"It doesn't matter," he sounded resigned. "Come on, let's go."

"No," I said suddenly, holding out a hand to stop him moving past me. "It obviously does matter. Talk to me, Ed. What's the matter?"

"It can wait until later," he said.

"Edward, if it could wait until later, you wouldn't have brought it up in a dark alleyway," I replied, smirking.

Edward sighed heavily, ran his hands through his hair.

"Talk to me," I asked quietly. It was more of a question than a statement.

Edward sucked in a deep breath, ran his hands through his hair again. I watched as he resumed his pacing back and forth in front of me, deep, controlled breaths of air coming from him every so often. I waited, not wanting to push him – but my mind was reeling.

What could have possibly got Edward so riled up? He was always calm, collected. He was very good at masking his emotions – or keeping them under control. I continued to watch him, my mind whirring.

"I…" he ran a hand through his hair before turning back to face me. His eyes were black, incredibly wide and filled with desperation. Instinctively, I leaned over and took his hand in my own. The contrast of temperatures was odd at first, but then it became comforting as my grip relaxed. Our hands fell, still entwined, between us.

"You can talk to me, okay?" I said, wanting to be there for him. Edward had never really needed comforting when Bella left – and he'd helped me so much with Harry, Sam and even Jacob. I wanted to return some of that, show him how it felt to be consoled by a close friend.

_But is he just your friend? _A sneaky voice from the back of my head hissed. I ignored my mental state – the voice sounded suspiciously like Jacob. I was going to personally murder him if Edward had heard that thought.

As Edward opened his mouth, ready to pour out his heart to me, there was a loud 'HONK' that caused both of our heads to snap up. The urge to turn around and see who was there was almost unstoppable – it was instinct – but I managed to keep my focus on the back of the alley.

"It's Emmett," Edward told me.

"Right," I said. "But weren't you just trying to tell me something?"

"Edward!" I heard Emmett yell from behind me. I heard his footsteps approaching us – before I could push the matter; Emmett had appeared in front of me, beside Edward. He looked beyond amused – the urge to laugh overtook him for a moment and he laughed raucously.

"Wow, you really have anger issues Ed," he said, once he'd finished laughing. "I guess you didn't want Leah to see the damage?"

"She did most of it," Edward replied with a chuckle. "She's absolutely lethal."

"How much is most?" Emmett looked at me warily. I shrugged; I had no idea what Edward had done.

"Everything apart from the head," Edward told him.

Emmett's eyes literally bugged out of his head as he looked at me. His mouth fell open in shock – I smirked in turn.

"What, did you think I was as defenceless as Swan?" I asked.

Emmett's shocked expression wavered and he pulled me into an enthusiastic hug, beaming at me widely.

"I like you!" he said with a laugh. "But I wish you'd left some for me," he glared towards the front of the alley, where Oscar's body was.

"I didn't want her to see what I'd done," Edward told Emmett.

"Yeah. I can see why. No offence bro, but that's some freaky shit," Emmett told him. I decided that if _Emmett _thought it was freaky, I would definitely didn't want to know.

Edward and I got into the Aston Martin that Emmett had driven to the edge of the alley. Edward covered my eyes as we walked towards it, making sure that I wouldn't see the mangled body.

Edward drove along at sixty miles per hour – well below the speed that he usually drove at. It was oddly relaxing, soothing. He turned on the stereo – Clair De Lune played from the speakers.

"What were you trying to say in the alleyway?" I asked as we drove, thinking back on the night's events. I'd gotten my revenge, I'd done it. The sender of the creepy texts was gone. He wouldn't hurt anybody else.

"It doesn't matter," Edward replied, calmly. I noticed that his foot pressed down on the gas hard – the speedometer increased dramatically, hovering at 150mph.

"Please," I requested. "I don't like the fact that you've been there for me such a lot, you've always been such a good friend… and I haven't had the chance to be the same for you yet. You haven't actually needed me for comfort or anything like that yet. I feel kind of bed about that."

"Don't," Edward replied. "Don't feel bad. You've been here for me, and you've comforted me in your own way. You've fixed me, Leah. No, more than that…" he trailed off, thinking. "You've made me as good as new. I'm like the refurbished model."

I grinned wryly.

"Refurbished Edward," I chuckled.

XxXxXxXxX

We arrived back at the house in the early morning. I got out of the car by myself – glaring at Edward when he approached with his arms outstretched. I knew he would try and pick me up, carry me upstairs as if I couldn't handle myself. I was determined to shower, get changed and get into bed of my own will.

"Leah!" I heard Alice squeak, before the pixie dived upon me and gripped me in a vice like hug. She wrinkled her nose up as she saw the crusted blood that stuck to my bare arms, and pouted sadly when she saw my now ruined dress. It was covered in grime, bits of concrete and splatters of blood.

"Hi Allie," I replied tiredly.

"Allie?" she asked.

"I'm too tired to say your full name," I said with a yawn. Alice giggled, a smile forming on her face. She offered me a hand, but I declined. I knew that if I took the weight off of my legs for even a second, I'd be out cold instantly.

"Are you okay, Leah?" I heard Carlisle ask as we entered the house. He was stood in the hallway, his hands clasped in concern.

"I'm fine," I replied, surprised that my voice hadn't started slurring yet. "Just a bit tired."

Alice and Rosalie took me upstairs, shoved me into the bathroom with some pyjamas and told me to have a shower so that I didn't fall asleep in the bath. I managed to change and wash properly before emerging from the bathroom with wet hair, feeling incredibly clean considering what I'd done that evening.

"I'm proud of you," Rosalie said as I was combing out my wet hair. "I didn't think you'd have the guts; I thought Edward would kill him. I'm glad you did what you did – you got revenge for all of those women."

I smiled. "Thanks Rose."

She smiled in turn, biding me goodnight before she left the room, closing the door behind her.

As soon as she shut the door, I jumped into Edward's golden bed and pulled the covers over me. I closed my eyes, expecting sleep to come instantly. It didn't – but when I tried to reopen my eyes when I heard a small sound, my eyelids didn't seem to want to part.

"Are you sure that she's alright?" I heard a voice ask. It was muted, whispered. I was barely conscious at this point.

"She's very strong," I recognised Edward's voice.

"Did you do it?" Carlisle changed the subject. "Did you tell her?"

"No," I heard Edward say after a long pause. He sighed. "I want to tell her. But how exactly do you tell a girl that you're in love with her?"

XxXxXxXxX

**A.N: I want to make a playlist for this story. I've got three songs (WOW I know lol) already, but please suggest any songs you think are suitable… I'll add the full playlist when it's finished… Any suggestions at all. So far we have: **

_**Stuttering – Ben's Brother **_

_**Spark – Amy MacDonald **_

_**What I'm Made Of – Crush 40 **_

**Any suggestions? That is the chapter's question. **

**Whoaaa, it all goes down from here. From the last line, I'm sure you can guess what the next chap is going to contain… **


	37. Fire And Ice, Leah And Edward

**A.N: Thanks again for all the reviews! We've beat 400! YAYZ! Thanks again to everyone and to al teh new reviewers who showed themselves lol it meant a lot really :) im being 100% serious here. And I was so happy with all the compliments from everyone saying about me being a great author; I was bouncing up and down haha :) I hope this update is soon enough :) **

**Enjoy as always; yes, it is the chapter you've all been waiting for. **

**Chapter 37 – Fire And Ice, Vampire And Shifter, Leah And Edward **

Carlisle was disappointed – that much I could tell from his body language. His eyes appeared sad, if that was possible, and he turned away from me, retiring to his study. I didn't see him again for the rest of the night. The fact that he was disappointed in me both angered me and upset me. Despite the fact that I was over one hundred years old, I still considered Carlisle my father.

As Carlisle left the room, I looked down at Leah. She looked so defenceless in slumber, her face showing all of her emotions. All of the barriers that she put up to keep people away were gone – she looked oddly innocent. Of course, that illusion didn't last long as she rolled over and uttered a curse word under her breath.

I gently pulled the ebony strands of her hair from her face, watched as her lips curved upwards for a moment in a gentle smile. I hadn't seen her smile like that before – the expression looked incredibly odd and yet natural upon her face. I smiled in turn, responding to her.

I adjusted the duvet around her shoulders, making sure that she was covered. Then, I looked at her one last time and left the room. Though I normally stayed with her, I needed time to think without her present.

I exited my bedroom, gently closing the door behind me before flying up several flights of stairs. I stopped in the attic, if you will, in front of the door to my Music Room. I pushed open the oak door gently, and entered the room.

My Jimi Hendrix guitar was hung on a stand on the wall. Another acoustic guitar, belonging to Jasper, hung beside it. Odd brass instruments, wood instruments and percussion instruments were placed around the room. Emmett's drum kit was in the corner, covered in a fine layer of dust.

My attention was not kept for very long by the instruments. I went straight to my piano – but rather than playing it, I ducked down under the instrument and felt for Leah's violin. I'd hidden it well, making sure that none of my siblings would find it. Though they had never damaged any of my instruments, even for pranking purposes, I didn't want to risk such a thing happening to this instrument.

I opened the violin case, inhaling a waft of Leah's scent. I couldn't place the scent of her, even after such a long time. It was bittersweet – there was no other way to describe it other than _Leah. _

I gently pulled the instrument from its case, earning another waft of her scent as I placed it on my shoulder, resting against my neck. Then, I lightly swung the bow upwards and gently swept it across the strings in a long movement.

I didn't keep track of how long I played. With my vampire speed, it was possible to play a duet with myself – but it wasn't the same. I'd never been able to play with my family members. None of them had the same passion for music that I did, though they loved the listen, they didn't have the urge to play, create the sounds themselves. They'd all tried it, partly for my sake, but they didn't share my passion.

I hoped that Leah did. She'd been enthralled by the sound that the violin could make – we had played for hours. I was hopeful that we'd be able to play together at some point – I could imagine her becoming lost in the music, the way that her brow would furrow in concentration and her lips would pucker as she thought. I could imagine her eyes opening suddenly, bright with emotion.

"Edward?" I heard a voice from behind me. I'd heard Rosalie's approach, but I was certain that she wouldn't wish to speak to me. Rosalie knew of my feelings for Leah – my entire family did now – and I had assumed that her feelings towards our relationship would be similar to her feelings towards my relationship with Bella.

However, she had been calm about the entire thing. I'd noticed Rosalie's softness towards Leah, and I'd realised that they had bonded over the one thing that neither of them could have – children. Leah hadn't thrown her life away in Rosalie's eyes, because she didn't have a choice in becoming a wolf. Rosalie admired Leah's strength and the way that she was still happy despite all that had happened to her.

"Rosalie," I replied in way of greeting. In response to my words, Rosalie stepped fully into the room and closed the door.

"You haven't told her," Rose said, her voice incredibly calm.

"No," I said quietly. I had no clue how to word such a thing – how did you say something like that?

"Why?" Rosalie didn't rage and storm as I'd expected to. Her head was tilted to the side in question; her eyes examined my face carefully.

"I have no idea what to say," I replied honestly.

"Is that the only reason?" she asked.

I thought about it. Remembering Alice's vision of Leah disappearing into the woods and not returning filled me with dread – but Alice seemed to think that such a thing wouldn't happen if I told Leah now. I trusted Alice with my life – but life and love were two entirely different things.

"I think so," I finally settled on an answer. "But I worry about her reaction… this may sound childish, but there is no proof in her thoughts that she returns such feelings. I don't want her to feel obliged to try something with me if she doesn't feel the same way… and I don't want her to leave, either. I would rather have her as a friend than nothing."

"You just need to try," Rose sounded gentler than I'd ever heard her. "I know I was a bitch towards Bella. Leah and I share the same view on her… but Leah is natural. She's kind, supernatural, and you're complete opposites in some ways, yet entirely different in other ways. I like her."

I still felt sceptical at the idea of telling Leah my feelings.

"Just try," Rosalie had guessed my thoughts. "You've been unhappy for so long, Edward. Maybe this is your chance. Don't let it slip through your fingers."

Rosalie smiled at me, looked at the violin that was still pressed against my neck. She sucked in a quick breath through her nose, before smirking.

"You're obsessed," she declared, turning towards the door. As she opened it, she turned back. "Tell her," she said firmly, before disappearing back to Emmett.

XxXxXxX

"Can you pass me the butter, Esme?" I asked from where I stood over the hob. The frying pan that I held contained one large pancake. Beside me, on the counter, was a plate containing two more. I was sure that three would be enough – the pancakes were massive. Even considering Leah's werewolf appetite, I thought it would be enough.

"Butter?" Esme asked from where she was crouched over, looking through the contents of the fridge. I could see a number of items – chocolate, cheese, milk, eggs, and raw meats… at the very back of the fridge was the container of butter.

"You don't need butter for pancakes, dear," Esme said, looking back towards me and throwing me a smile.

"I know," I replied, also smiling. Esme was the best cook, according to Leah – apparently having butter on pancakes wasn't a normal occurrence. "Leah adores her pancakes with butter, for some reason. I think it's the contrast of sweet and savoury," I mused. Thinking of sweet and savoury reminded me of Leah's scent.

"Oh, okay," Esme looked confused but handed me the butter all the same. I placed the container on the tray that I'd prepared, as well as the pancakes, before taking off up the stairs at vampire speed.

As I approached Leah's room, or my room – _Our room, _a voice in the back of my head supplied – I heard her heartbeat. It was regular, and her breathing was faster than it was whilst she slept. She was awake, then. I heard the squeaking of bed springs as she adjusted herself slightly.

I knocked lightly on the door, before opening it and walking into the room.

Leah was leaning back on her pillows. Her hair was brushed, pulled back into a messy bun. I could smell her morning breath from across the room, but I ignored it. It was a natural part of being a human.

"Good morning," I said with a smile. "Your pancakes, m'lady."

She didn't smile as she normally did – she looked paler than usual. Her fists were clenched around the duvet and she looked upset, for some reason. I wondered briefly about nightmares – but they weren't things that Leah had suffered from before.

"I thought that you'd be making these for someone else," she said quietly.

I raised my eyebrows, confused.

"What?" I asked, my manners deserting me.

"The girl that you're in love with," she replied, causing my heart to freeze in my chest. She'd heard me the night before. She'd heard me speaking to Carlisle. She thought that I was in love with someone. _Someone who wasn't her. _

"Is she pretty? Why didn't you spend the night with her? What's her name, _Bella?_" Leah continued, her voice bitter. "Is she kind, does she have brown eyes and dark hair?" She sucked in a deep breath. "You should have told me, Edward. I would have supported you… you didn't need to keep it from me," her voice was becoming higher, frantic. "I mean, just because everybody else important to me has gone doesn't mean that I'm fragile. I would have tried to be happy for you – you don't need to be ashamed of falling in love. It's natural for normal people, for people who aren't me."

She glared at me – her eyes shone with tears for a moment before she blinked and they were gone. Her hands unclenched and then clenched even tighter, her nails digging into her skin.

"I'm sorry," I said quietly, my mind whirring. I couldn't stand to see her so gutted, she looked so broken.

"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked. "When did you meet her?"

"I'm sorry," I said again, my resolve tightening. _I would tell her. I am telling her. Now. _"I met her in the bar a while ago. She's gorgeous, her hair is thick and lustrous and her eyes are so wide and beautiful. It feels like I can see her soul. She's so kind, she's been through so much and she manages to keep a happy personality. She's so strong, I can't believe it sometimes," I watched the heartbroken expression on her face – I needed to say it. "And I did make pancakes for her this morning. I did spend the night with her," I looked up into her eyes, which had filled with tears again. I let out a laugh – it was strained. "And her name isn't Bella."

She waited, her hands fisted together tightly. I could see the bones popping out from her skin.

"It's Leah."

XxXxXxX

**Reviews = Updates**

**What did you think to the confession?**

**19 reviews last chap! Can we get to 435... Hmm. Lol. **

**QUESTION - Any songs that you think go with the story? **


	38. Damaged

A.N - I** got so many nice** **reviews today :) I was so happy. So when I got up to 430 reviews a couple of minutes ago I thought 'screw this I'm updating' thanks** **to everyone you're all lovely :)**

**I hope I've done this justice. It wasexceptionally difficult to write this because I've never been with anyone before. Hopefully that doesn't make me sound sad. Lol.**

**So it's my 14th next Saturday. Can't wait! Yayz! I'm hopeful that I will get b-day reviews :)**

**And thanks for all of the reviews saying about me being a good author. Im sure that you're all trying to butter me up so I'll update - well it worked lol. **

**Apologies if this is OOC it was v difficult to write.**

Chapter 38 – Damaged

I watched as her eyes widened in shock. I'd noticed her brown eyes before, the deep mysterious quality to them. Everything about her was drawing me in, yet I sucked in a breath and refrained from approaching her. I didn't want to push her – Alice had warned me how difficult it would be to tell Leah before. I didn't want to scare her away and become the 'brooding' Edward, as Leah called me.

My previous words ran through my head as I considered what I'd said. I wondered briefly if I'd pushed too much information into her; I was terrified that she would leave me, abandon me. Though I didn't want her to feel obliged to stay with me, either.

I sucked in a deep breath, hoping that my anxiety wasn't too obvious from the outside.

Leah's heart was flying, beating at rocket speed. Her breathing was ragged and uneven as she sucked in quick, startled breaths. In her head, random numbers flashed through her mind at top speed.

"What?" she finally managed to force out. Her breathing slowed ever so slightly, as did her heart. She wasn't freaking out as much. But she was still… unsteady.

Her hands clenched into fists, her nails cutting into her skin. I could smell blood for a brief moment; it held no appeal to me. The idea of her blood, no matter how small the amount, being spilled sickened me.

"Don't do that," I said, knowing that the cuts had already healed even as I spoke. She seemed to know what I was talking about as her hands relaxed and pulled away from her palms. I could see fading cuts in her skin.

"Edward?" she demanded, her voice considerably harsh. I looked down at my shoes, trying to avoid her eyes. I was panicking inside, convinced she was going to grab her things and just walk out and leave me.

"What do you want me to say?" I asked quietly. My hands clenched against my will, mimicking her earlier movements.

"Don't do that," she said quietly. I didn't look up, heard the bed creak as she swung her legs over the edge of the mattress and approached me. I held very still as her warm hand wrapped around my wrist and her fingers pried my own nails away from my skin.

"Did you mean it?" she demanded, her grasp tight around my hand.

"I wouldn't have said it if I didn't mean it," I replied seriously.

"Say it," she said to me quietly. Her eyes bore into mine; I was surprised at her boldness.

"Why?" I asked, trying to place the colour of her eyes for a brief moment. They were incredibly dark around the edges, becoming lighter closer to her pupils.

"I need to hear someone say it," she replied in a whisper.

"I fell in love with you," I said firmly, staring into her eyes. The colour seemed to gleam, her pupils sparkled for a brief moment. "I looked at your body on the ground after the newborn battle, and I was so shocked that you could even be hurt. You were my rock, something to hold onto when everything else was gone. When I saw you seriously injured, I realised I couldn't go back to before. I need you now Leah. I don't know what happened, but something changed and when I close my eyes now I don't see her, not even for a second. It's only you."

I leaned closer to her, not wanting to push her but desperate to feel her or hug her or something. Her eyes closed for a brief moment, she inhaled sharply before opening them again. Her heartbeat was even now; she was over the shock.

I needed to show her more, I needed to make sure that I'd done my damndest to convince her of my feelings. I grabbed her hand, choosing not to force a kiss upon her lips. I was still a gentleman despite everything. It was rude, unheard of to force a woman into a kiss in my time.

"Do you feel it too?" I demanded urgently, wrapping my fingers around her hand gently. The mixture of our temperature, fire and ice, enveloped my hand. My fingers tingled, it felt as if my blood was boiling under my skin. It was a figurative term; I had no blood to boil.

Leah was watching me with scrutiny, just waiting for me to speak.

"You said before, it was like fire in your fingertips. Do you still feel it?" I asked her, silently begging that it wasn't just a feeling on my part. I wanted her to feel it too, I wanted her to experience love again. I didn't want my heart to be broken either.

I waited, watched as she pursed her lips and then a very familiar smirk appeared on her face, pulling up the left side of her mouth. Despite the fact that her hair was messy, having not been brushed – despite the fact that she had morning breath… I still thought that she looked incredibly sexy, even as she stood there in her cotton pyjamas.

"I do," she said, with the smirk still present on her face. "I thought it was just a werewolf reaction to touching a vampire..."

"I wouldn't know," I said, also smirking as I saw that she wasn't running from me, she wasn't screaming and quickly running from the house. "I've never taken it upon myself to hold Jacob's hand."

She let out a laugh, smiling. Her eyes sparkled with happiness; I had done that. She looked like it was Christmas all over again, and it was thanks to me. I hope, I tacked on in my mind.

"Are you sure?" she demanded. "Are you sure that you want this?"

"Leah," I took both of her hands in mine. The fire and ice swelled through my skin, burned slightly but in a very good way. Even if it was in a bad way, I wouldn't have let go. "If I wasn't sure, I wouldn't have spoken."

We both shared a smile, and then, I slowly moved my lips towards her. I was giving her time to pull away, making sure that she was comfortable with the speed at which we were moving.

She was still smirking – no, it wasn't a smirk anymore. It was a full blown smile; she was smiling with happiness.

Then, suddenly, the happiness was wiped from her face and she clamped her hands over her mouth, turning away from me with horror in her eyes.

Terror filled my stomach; had she changed her mind? I bit my tongue, tried to swallow the excess venom that had filled my mouth.

Then, she let out a low groan.

"Leah, what's wrong?" I asked nervously, flitting to her side.

Then, she muttered the last three words I would have expected her to say.

"Fucking morning breath."

XxXxXxXxX

So you expected a kiss? Maybe next time.

The more reviews I get, the faster I update.


	39. Falling In Love Is Freaky

**A.N: So I got loads of reviews begging for updates, so I felt so bad! I was sick last night so I couldn't type this one up... it sucked. A lot. So a lot of you wanted a kiss too... Hmm. Let's see. **

**PS: APPARENTLY I NEED TO DO A DISCLAIMER. NOBODY TOLD ME TO I JUST THOUGHT 'OH YEAH DISCLAIMER' **

**OH WELL. HAHAH (I DONT OWN TWILIGHT I JUST CAME UP WITH THIS PLOT FOR SOME REASON)**

**To Medusa: Lovrd the ideas, I'll do my best to add some a those :) thanks for your review. **

Chapter 39 – Falling In Love Is Freaky

I made my way towards the bathroom slowly, calmly. I didn't want Edward to think that I appeared too eager, so I moved at a casual human pace towards the bathroom door. Everything that had occurred with Sam had flown from my mind; I had no regrets or worries when it came to Edward. I only worried about how our relationship would go; the transition from friends to romantic partners was difficult for any two people. I knew my feelings towards Edward wouldn't change, and I knew that Edward's feelings towards me wouldn't either, but my irrational fear remained present.

The hot water of the shower soothed my muscles and cleared my head. I thought back on the events of the day; already it felt as if I'd been awake for hours, when in reality I'd only been up for about half an hour. I wondered vaguely if romantic confessions took a lot out of you or if it was just me being strange again.

I shut the shower off after five minutes underneath the powerful jet of water. I jumped out of the shower and pulled my wet hair back into a ponytail. I noticed some green hair dye resting on the back of the toilet and I grinned to myself, recalling Emmett's attempt at pranking.

I quickly rubbed in my body lotion, sniffing the chocolaty scent. It reminded me of Edward, the incredibly sweet and girly scent.

"Hey," I heard a voice shout from below. "I'll have you know that I'm incredibly manly."

I grinned to myself in turn, chose not to reply and pulled on my clothes. I wore skinny jeans, a stretch cotton T-shirt and the hoodie that Alice had given me quite a time before. I'd noticed Edward's reaction to it the first time on – I was aiming for a reaction.

Then, I pulled out my electric toothbrush. Apparently Edward took the view of 'nothing but the best for my friends' because he'd gotten top of the range shampoo and conditioner, as well as fancy toothpaste and an expensive toothbrush. As in, a seventy dollar toothbrush. God knows why. It wasn't as if the thing worked any better than my old toothbrush.

I brushed my teeth for ages. I knew that we would end up kissing at some point; I wanted to make sure my breath didn't reek to him. After I'd finished brushing my teeth, I used the mouthwash that Alice had supplied at some point. I wondered vaguely if she'd foreseen our confessions this morning…

"Leah…" I heard Alice's voice hiss through the door. "Let me in."

I looked fearfully at the door for a moment before grinning and opening it. Alice danced nimbly into the room, bearing some curling tongs. She plugged them in and grinned manically, shocked that I was allowing her to do such a thing to my hair. Then, she proceeded to twist my hair wildly in different directions.

I bit my lip to refrain from screaming.

It didn't take as long as I'd expected. Five minutes after Alice had entered the room, she was leaving again, smirking at me knowingly. We didn't actually speak a word to one another, but Alice was fully aware as to what was happening, and I knew that she knew what was going on. I could tell that Alice was excited, too. It surprised me; I'd expected her to be angry, annoyed that Edward was 'replacing' Bitch-Ella.

I exited the bathroom shortly afterwards, smiled as I saw Edward seated on the edge of his golden bed. His eyes were fixated on the window, though I knew he'd heard me coming. I let out a light cough and his head whirled around, golden eyes snapping up to meet my own.

One hundred and one different emotions raced through me as I looked at him. The golden tone of his eyes was comforting, and the emotion that shone in his eyes was staggeringly strong. I couldn't place it as anything other than love – he just looked happy. The happiest that I'd ever seen him before – the light in his eyes was gleaming as he looked at me.

"I'm glad you can read my face so easily," he whispered to me, the smile not leaving his face.

"I wish you smiled more before," I said before I could stop myself.

"Well lack of smiles on my part isn't going to be a problem anymore," he said with a huge grin, before reaching out to me with one hand. I took his hand with a smile wide enough to match his, and Edward pulled me forwards with a sudden yank, causing me to gasp in shock. He twirled me around at top speed, so that I fell into place on his lap.

My head rested against his shoulders, and both of my hands held onto his. Another smile burst onto my face before I could stop it, a laugh escaped my throat.

"Pushy, Cullen," I said with a smile.

"Waiting, Clearwater," he replied in the same tone. I shifted myself slightly so that I could look at his face…

…And I was suddenly shocked at how close we were to one another.

"Are you sure?" I asked again.

"Leah, I am one hundred and ten percent sure," he replied with a quirk of his eyebrow and a cocky grin.

"Okay," I said, my expression matching his.

Our lips were suddenly incredibly close. I could feel his cool breath against my tongue, silently tested the taste. I was certain that he could smell my overly minty breath, smirked slightly at the thought. Then, we both grinned widely like two fools and –

- Our lips met in the _best goddamned kiss I'd ever had before in my life. _

Edward's lips were icy against mine. They were smooth, glassy in quality as I'd always imagined them to be. The temperature contrasted oddly with my own burning one. Then, rather than continuing to be the romantic kiss I'd anticipated, Edward was suddenly edging for more. His lips began to move against my own, coating my lips in his cold temperature. My lips stung slightly for some reason, and his tongue suddenly delved into my mouth.

I pressed my body against his, and we fell back onto the bed together, lips still pressed together firmly. His hands tangled in my hair, and I found my own hands doing the same, running through his bronze locks. His hair was soft as I'd expected, and the texture was gentle against my fingers. I wound the longer strands around my fingers as we continued to kiss.

When we pulled apart barely seconds afterwards, we were both gasping for breath. I knew my cheeks were tinted pink from passion. Edward's breathing was deep, his mouth slightly open. I could see his teeth gleaming in the light. A smile spread onto his face.

"You are one great kisser," Edward told me with a grin.

"And you are one sexy vampire," I replied, my grin matching his.

XxXxXxXxX

We made our way down the stairs together, holding hands. The action had a much stronger meaning than it had before; I had no idea as to what the kiss had meant – were we boyfriend and girlfriend? Were we together – but I had a feeling that we weren't just friends anymore. Edward kept smiling at me, kept squeezing my hand whilst his eyes shone with happiness.

The rest of the Cullen family were sat together in the lounge. The news was on the TV but none of the vampires were paying it any attention. When Edward and I walked into the room, hands still clasped together, they all looked up with similar smirks or raised eyebrows. I rolled my eyes, but I couldn't quite wipe the smile from my face.

Emmett was all but bouncing in his seat as Edward and I sat down on the loveseat. Carlisle and Esme – who were intertwined on the couch beside us – smiled at me knowingly.

A second later, there was a loud bang and something very hard and very cold hit my side. I found myself tumbling over the arm of the loveseat onto the floor, one of the vampires on top of me, pressing their weight against me to prevent me moving.

_Emmett. Who the fuck else?_

_XxXxEXLxXxX_

_**Thank you buudiess! You all rawkkkk ::) lol. My keyboard is going dodgyfied at the minute. **_

_Oh, and Gothchiq is amazing. Officially. THAT SONG WAS FRIGGIN AWESOME! I LOVE IT. I WILL ADD IT TO THE PLAYLIST! _

_IF YOU HAVE ANY AWESOME SONGS TELL ME! (For teh playlist I want to make lol) _

_**THANKS TO WONDERFALL REVIEWSSS AS ALWAYS! **_

_REVIEW NOW! BYAZZ! _

_(Yeah hyper IDK!) _


	40. Bonding

**A.N: DEDICATED TO ALICE825 BECAUSE SHE REMEMBERED MY BIRTHDAY AND LEFT A REVIEW! THANK YOU SO MUCH! **

**So I felt really nice on Friday and I thought 'hmm I need to write' so then, I decided to do a massively awesome bumper chapter for the big 40. This chappy is DOUBLE the size of my regular chaps...**

**I'm also feeling awkward about the length of this (story) now. The average is around thirty, so forty feels excessive consisdering I'm not actually near the end yet... Well, I am a bit. **

**THANKS TO ALL MY REVIEWERS - ESPECIALLY THE NEWBIES WHO REVIEWED AND ANSWERED MY DESPERATE WEIRDO PLEAS. OH, AND SORRY ABOUT THE RANDOMNESS LAST CHAPTER. I'M A BIT HYPER THIS TIME BECAUSE I JUST HAD CHOCOLATE CAKE... YAY! **

**REVIEW RECORD FOR THIS STORY IS 27 REVIEWS FOR ONE CHAP. CAN WE BEAT IT FOR MY BIRTHDAY? PLEASEEEEE! **

**So read this, then please read the full AN at the bottom... It's super important.**

Chapter 40 – Bonding

From the day that I had met Leah Clearwater, I had been shocked by the intensity of her character and the complexity of her emotions. Her personality was different… she was difficult to understand. I found myself unable to compare her to any other human before her. She had strong emotions towards Edward, despite the fact that she hadn't known him for a long period at that point. They had a strong bond, even on the day that I first laid my eyes upon her.

I had felt a slight, panging fear on the day that we were going to meet her. I had managed with Bella's blood, but barely. The smallest paper cut had snapped my self control, and I had found myself attacking my brother's girlfriend…

But nothing had come of my fears. Though I knew that werewolves smelt unappetizing to vampires, an irrational fear had still been present. She didn't smell bad, as the other wolves did, either. She smelt like roses, or flowers. The best comparison to the human mind was the scent of daisies. You would have no desire whatsoever to eat a daisy, no matter how good it smelt.

I shook myself from my reverie as I heard Leah and Edward walk down the stairs together. Everybody had heard their confessions, of course… the entire family had anxiously awaited their admittance of their feelings. Alice was bouncing up and down with enthusiasm on the armchair beside me.

The two entered the room together, hand in hand.

Their emotions hit me like a wrecking ball. Before their entrance, the room had been filled with excitement, anticipation and happiness. It was the usual array of emotions that filled the house. Once they were in the room, taking seats, love and absolute ecstasy added to the mixture as well. Under normal circumstances, I would've had to have left the room under the strain of all the emotions… but I was desperate to see the family's reaction to their new found emotions.

I wasn't entirely sure how I felt about their new relationship.

I had always been sceptical of Edward's relationships; and they were seldom, none-existent. For a brief period, he claimed that he felt 'something' for Tanya. None of us could see the link between the two; there was no spark between them. I knew it would never work, and I told Edward so. He grew annoyed with my blunt dismissal of my feelings, gave me the cold shoulder for several weeks after their weak relationship had disappeared.

With Isabella Swan, I had been beyond sceptical. It wasn't possible – in my eyes – for two beings of different species to be romantically involved. I didn't say this as such to Edward – I merely told him that if they began a relationship together, it would endanger the entire family. And I was correct - it very nearly destroyed us, with our business with the Volturi…

But Leah Clearwater was an entirely different matter.

She was Edward's complete opposite in every way. They had different tastes in music, different views on life, different looks, personalities – their species were even mortal enemies.

But they attracted one another.

Edward was fascinated with her, he loved listening to her views and opinions. Leah was a strong character, forever standing up for herself and not allowing others to help. She was an independent creature, and she'd suffered all different kinds of heartbreak just as Edward had.

Privately, I thought that they were well suited to one another.

Edward gave me a smirk, apparently finding my inner musings humorous. I repressed a smile in turn; Alice would quiz me on what was going on. She didn't enjoy being left out of things – she liked to be involved in everything. Her bouncy personality was the exact opposite of my own serene, gentle one. But Esme frequently said that we complimented one another well.

I watched as Leah moved across the room, ignoring the family's knowing smiles. She held her head high, rather than being embarrassed and trying to hide as Isabella would have. They were polar opposites. I was surprised that they hadn't come to blows yet.

Leah seated herself in one of the armchairs, settling backwards. She relaxed her muscles; I hadn't noticed that her shoulders were tensed as she walked.

Just as Leah was relaxing, I noticed that Emmett moved from where he was before in the kitchen. My vampire senses were forever on alert – once a Confederate, always a Confederate – and so I was fully aware of his movements as he suddenly flew through the air towards where Leah was seated innocently on the couch.

The two toppled from the couch, landing on the floor and proceeding to roll. They stopped a couple of metres short of the fireplace, with Emmett on top of Leah. His knees pressed into Leah's stomach gently, but with enough force to keep her down. Her hands were trapped by her sides, making it impossible for her to move from under him.

Or so I thought.

Edward had started up from his chair as he saw his new partner pinned to the ground, his emotions going from happiness to pure fury as he watched our idiotic brother.

But Leah wasn't waiting on him.

She used her legs, aiming them up and kicking Emmett roughly in the back. The idiot lost his balance, toppled forwards towards her face and instinctively threw out his arms to catch himself. As he toppled forwards, Leah nimbly slipped her hands from where they were trapped by her sides, and suddenly –

SLAP!

Emmett lost his balance completely and fell to the left, landing on the ground before he could catch himself. Leah slid her body from under one of his legs nimbly, standing up and settling her body into a defensive pose, her arms tensed at her sides.

I was impressed.

"Emmett," Edward hissed. But he was smiling, obviously as impressed at Leah's display as I had been. She was truly a wolf, obviously a skilled fighter. I wondered briefly if – once she was truly a member of our family – she would wrestle with me. For fun, I quickly added to appease Edward.

He didn't appear to be paying any heed to my thoughts, though. His eyes were trained on his Leah, glowing with pride as he watched her.

I briefly wondered why Esme had not called Emmett to order yet.

He stood suddenly, his stance mirroring Leah's. Emmett let out a loud, echoing roar before charging towards Leah.

By some miracle, she was faster.

I watched in amazement as the young wolf suddenly ducked out of the way of Emmett's attacking, crushing fists. She appeared behind him, an amused expression present on her face as she waited for him to turn.

He did so suddenly, but he didn't take her off guard with his speed. Leah suddenly grabbed at Emmett's throat. I watched for a long moment as her move seemed to have no effect – but suddenly Emmett was pushed back through the air, and his head hit against the plaster. There was a dull 'CRACK' on impact. Leah held him steadily by his throat.

"Damn," he cursed. "You win."

Leah grinned wickedly, turned away from the idiot and moved back towards Edward.

I was beyond impressed by her skills and tactics. Though they were rather basic, simple to defeat, she had managed to beat a vampire in combat. And she wasn't even in her wolf form. I was resisting the urge to applaud; I hadn't had much contact with Leah. I didn't want to make the non-existent relationship between us awkward.

Leah went into the kitchen with Esme shortly after their brief 'encounter.' I heard the frying pan sizzling as Esme began to make pancakes. My nose wrinkled up at the vile scent.

"It's true," Edward hadn't followed Leah into the kitchen as I had expected him to. "You haven't had very much time with Leah… bonding wise," he grinned wryly. "Why don't you go somewhere with her this afternoon?"

"You've only just admitted your feelings for one another," I replied calmly. "I would have thought that you would want some time to yourselves."

"I think it's better to make bridges sooner rather than later," Edward replied with a smile. "Besides, if you two go somewhere today it gives me time to organise something... for Leah and I to do together."

I smiled in turn. It was rare that Edward didn't have an ulterior motive. I didn't mind though.

I moved towards the hallway, meaning to go back upstairs to my study to contemplate what I could do with a female shape shifter to bond…

This could take a while.

XxXxExLxXxX

I eventually came up with something… suitable. Leah Clearwater was a very feisty, energetic character. I considered something to do with history, something that was close to me such as the Civil War… but I didn't want to bore the woman. Though I didn't think history necessarily would bore her, I didn't want to chance it. I didn't want her to look back on our first 'bonding' experience in a bad way.

I had contemplated for several minutes, my vampire mind whirring away – until inspiration struck me like a bolt of lightening. It was a painfully obvious solution. I should have seen it sooner; I had a shrewd suspicion that Alice had known since I decided to spend some time getting to know Leah, but my evil wife had kept it from me.

It was something that Leah and I both held close to our hearts.

Bikes.

Specifically, motorbikes.

Leah had her Ducati, the beautiful black bike that frequently stood tall and proud upon the Cullen drive. I frequently found her looking at the bike and feeling awe and happiness. I could easily see that she loved biking.

I had my Harley Davidson. I wasn't entirely sure if Leah knew of my love for bikes, but she would find out.

After a few calls organising the day, I made my way downstairs. Alice and Emmett beamed at me; apparently Alice had let Emmett in on the 'action.' His emotions were enthusiastic; he was a little disappointed that he couldn't attend with us. Alice was happy that I was finally getting to know my future sister in law.

I shot them both a smile, Alice's beautiful smile caused me happiness. Her enthusiastic nature balanced my own perfectly. I loved her with all of my heart and soul. I would go to the end of worlds just to be with her.

I focused on the task at hand.

"Emmett is lending you his truck," Alice told me as I passed. Her voice was low, too low for Leah to hear despite her werewolf senses. "It's got a full tank. Stop in Humptulips."

"Thanks, Ali," I replied with a small smile. I lightly pecked her on the cheek.

"She'll say yes," Alice whispered in my ear as I pecked her on the cheek. "She'll love it. Also, don't let her touch the Yamaha. It only ends with blood."

"Thank you," I replied sincerely. Alice twisted her face so that I could kiss her on the lips briefly; it was short and sweet, just like she was.

I hoped Edward didn't tell her I'd thought that.

I heard a low coughing snigger from the kitchen where Edward and Leah were.

Alice looked at me questioningly. I shook my head, a small smirk on my face.

I walked into the kitchen unsurely, wondering what Leah's reaction to this would be. I had not interacted with her – well, barely. I was the vampire with the least self control… I worried that she would be repulsed by me.

"What did I just say?" Alice asked me in a whisper from the hallway.

I allowed myself to relax, calmly stood in the doorway of the kitchen.

Leah glanced up, a smile appearing on her face. Esme had done Leah some more pancakes; the ones that Edward had made for her before had gone cold during their confessions.

"Hey Jasper," she said, relaxed. She didn't feel any anxiety or repulsion towards me. Bella had always been wary around me, despite the fact that she tried to hide it.

"Hello, Leah," I replied, trying not to let my shock show. She was such a relaxed character and yet she could be so feisty and hot tempered. She was confusing.

Edward looked at me, smiling as he heard my thoughts. He evidently felt the same; he could hear Leah's thoughts, but he couldn't quite understand her quick personality.

Edward obviously knew of my plans, as he squeezed Leah's hand and then disappeared from the room.

Confusion radiated through her as her hair was thrown back from her face with the breeze. She recovered quickly as I approached her, awaiting what I had to say.

"I was actually wondering how you'd feel about attending a racetrack with me today. I realised that we haven't spent very much time getting to know one another since you met Edward… I thought that now would be a good time to build that bridge."

Leah beamed at me. Anticipation grew inside her; her eagerness almost bowled me over. Alice had said that she would love it; but I hadn't expected such intense emotions to radiate from her. I enjoyed the fact that she was comfortable expressing herself through emotions.

"I'd love to," Leah replied sincerely.

I grinned; she grinned in turn.

"But you better prepare to loose, Whitlock."

XxXxExLxXxX

The road trip from Forks to Raymond would take forty five minutes going at 120mph solid for the entire way there. I was a little wary about the time spent in the car, wondering what on earth we would find to say to one another.

Emmett loaded the bikes up onto his truck. He always used his jeep, but the truck was useful for trips such as these. He seemed to be enjoying hauling the bikes onto the back of the truck and securing them in the trailer.

Leah disappeared to Edward's room to change. I considered it to be their room, but neither of them had said anything about the subject yet. They'd barely admitted their feelings an hour ago.

She appeared back in the lounge shortly afterwards. She wore her biking trousers and her leather jacket from Alice. The helmet I had got her for Christmas was clutched lightly in her hands. She looked excited.

"Ready?" I asked her with a smile.

"Ready to get your ass kicked?" she replied with a smirk.

"Bring it on little lady," I grinned at her, allowing my Texan accent to slip through.

We quickly made our way outside. I jumped up into the cab of the truck, slammed the door behind me after blowing Alice a quick kiss. She returned the gesture.

Edward had stopped Leah before she could climb up into the cab too.

"Call me if you need anything," Edward told Leah firmly.

"Chill Edward," Leah said. I could feel her emotions, the irritation and amusement mixing. She felt happy that he cared. I smiled slightly; Edward's main emotion was worry.

"Don't you trust me with your girlfriend?" I demanded, sliding the window down.

"Girlfriend?" Leah and Edward both protested.

"Oh alright, boyfriend," I smirked broadly. Leah rolled her eyes, smiled at Edward.

"Girlfriend?" she asked quietly. She knew that I could hear, but I turned on the radio, turning the volume up to full blast so as not to hear their conversation.

I focused solely on the music that was playing, doing my best to give them the vampire equivalent of privacy.

A couple of long minutes later, the door was pulled open and Leah jumped up into the cab. Her emotions hit me hard; the pure, undiluted love that radiated from her almost bowled me over. I was shocked that her feelings could have progressed so much.

"Ready?" I asked, recovering.

"Ready to whop your ass," she grinned at me. I was surprised Leah was so at ease with me. But it was comforting to know that she saw me as a person rather than a monster who couldn't control his bloodlust.

"Go Leah!" I heard Emmett yell from the porch. He held up a banner with Alice – who was grinning at me evilly – which read 'GO LEAH!'

I chuckled, gunned the engine and drove off towards our destination; Raymond.

XxXxLxExXxX

We arrived in less time than I'd expected. We stopped only once, in Humtulips as Alice had predicted. Leah bought a massive packet of M&Ms for some reason… I was highly amused at that, of course. Once we had left the shop in the services, Leah ripped open the M&Ms and held them out to me. When I gave her a 'look' she seemed to grow upset – though her only emotion was amusement – and began to loudly vent about how I never ate anything anymore.

I was forced to eat some of the M&Ms so that people would stop staring.

She was truly evil.

We pulled to a halt outside Raymond's Dirt Track. It was a large track, shaped in a perfect circle. It was a difficult one, surprisingly. The turns were long and hard to get around without skidding.

I wondered briefly how Edward had allowed this. He'd always been the overprotective one.

"C'mon slow poke," Leah called, jumping from the cab and climbing up into the trailer. She began to unfasten her Ducati, which gleamed subtly. I was glad Edward had chosen such a majestic bike for her.

I followed suit, jumping from the truck and locking the doors. Then, I unfastened my Harley and wheeled it off of the back of the truck.

Once my bike was safe on the ground, I looked up – only to find that Leah had disappeared.

_Shit. _

XxXxLxExXxX

_Leah's POV _

I grinned eagerly at my opponent, revving the engine of my bike just to prove a point. He had a bottom end Yamaha; the thing sounded as if it would fall apart at any moment. The guy glared at me; he wore a helmet with no visor. I knew that was a dumb idea. He seemed to like the fact that he could try and scare potential opponents with the tattoos that covered his eyes.

_One light. _

_ Two lights. _

_ Three lights. _

_ Four lights. _

_ Five lights. _

_ GO! _

I revved the bike again, performing a quick wheelie before leaving him in the dust. The dirt track blew up massive brown clouds, but I didn't look back, just focused on the course. It was large, a perfect circle. There was another, smaller track in the middle that twisted and turned.

He was catching up. A growl of irritation filled me and I pushed the bike harder, revving the engine as hard as I possibly could. The bike growled in fury, shooting off. Tattoo guy disappeared in my rear view mirror as I turned again, smelling the burning rubber that was associated with racetracks. I grinned.

A couple of moments later, my bike skidded across the finish and the black and white chequered flag was waved with enthusiasm.

"That was friggin' awesome!" somebody told me as I climbed from my bike, pulled my helmet from my head. I hung my helmet over the handles of the bike and looked to the guy.

"You think so?" I asked with a smirk.

"Hell yeah," the guy replied. He reminded me of Emmett.

A whistle blew in the distance and the guy suddenly muttered 'I've got to go' and ran off. I raised my eyebrows in confusion, but shrugged it off and turned around, looking for Jasper.

He was stood a little distance away, holding onto his bike. Though nobody had crowded around it with enthusiasm, I could hear people complimenting the bike or saying 'Look at that one,' to their friends. I smiled, pushed the bike over to Jasper.

"Having fun?" he asked me in amusement.

"Of course," I replied with a huge grin. "This place is awesome."

"Are you ready for that race we were discussing now?" he asked me, arching an eyebrow. The expression reminded me of Edward.

Edward.

For the briefest of moments, my thoughts flew to him. I was so shocked that he felt the same way. We were calling ourselves 'Boyfriend and Girlfriend' to show how normal our relationship was. I thought it was funny; it seemed that my dry sense of humour had rubbed off on Edward.

As silly as it sounded, I couldn't wait to kiss him again. I couldn't believe that just like that, we were together. We were kissing, hugging; hell, I was fantasising about him. It seemed to teenaged and girly for me. The emotions were all new to me.

"Leah?" Jasper snapped me from my reverie.

"Sorry," I apologised immediately.

"I'm getting loads of happiness and love from you… god I hope that isn't for me," he waggled his eyebrows in amusement.

"Shut up," I aimed a hit towards his face, but Jasper was quicker than Edward. His hand suddenly snapped up to block the blow. In turn, I aimed towards his stomach and then stopped. Jasper was confused, paused for a brief second in his defence. I moved quickly, my hand whipping towards his face – but he caught my hand and twisted me around, my arm being twisted up my back.

"Alright, you win," I groaned in defeat.

Jasper released me with a smirk.

I glared at him.

"Aw, don't feel bad sugar," he said, Texan accent prominent in his voice. "Those moves woulda killed Emmett."

We both laughed.

I liked Jasper. He was relaxed, more so than Edward, yet more serious than Emmett. He was like the balance, somehow. It was a good word to describe him, what with his power and everything… I'd heard stories of Jasper struggling with his bloodlust, but he seemed fine. I didn't mind anyway; we all had our problems. And the bloodlust wasn't Jasper's fault. He hadn't chosen to become a vampire.

A couple of minutes later, we found ourselves on the starting line of the smaller racetrack. Jasper was perched on his Harley, revving the engine. It was more alto than my Ducati. For a moment, I admired the paintwork on the Harley.

_One light. _

_ Two lights. _

_ Three lights. _

_ Four lights. _

_ Five lights. _

_ GO! _

My Ducati snarled furiously as I bolted forwards – but the Harley was faster. I assumed that Jasper had tuned up the engine at some point; I let out a noise of frustration and revved the engine harder, begging the bike in my mind to move faster.

Jasper turned around, his smug expression showing even through his black helmet.

"C'mon, c'mon," I repeated over and over as the bike remained at a steady speed. Jasper was slowly pulling away from me. "God damn it!" I cursed.

I suddenly hit the brakes, surprising myself. Instinctively, Jasper turned around to see if I was okay – but by then I'd accelerated tremendously, pulling up alongside Jasper. I was surprised that kind of stunt would even work.

Jasper cussed loudly, moving as if he was going to copy my movement. As he slowed, I managed to speed up and pulled in front of him. Jasper looked annoyed; I could feel him projecting the emotions at me.

My amusement overrode it. As Jasper tried to swerve around me, I mimicked him – successfully blocking him. He pushed harder than before, the bike shooting forwards. I managed to block him again as we shot around several turns.

"Damn it!" I cussed as I saw a wide turning ahead. I drifted straight around the corner; but Jasper's bike was faster. The Harley shot around me, propelling straight across the finish line, beating me by a head.

_Shit, _I cussed as I pulled the bike to a halt and met Jasper's smug eyes.

XxXxExLxXxX

The day was filled with races. A gang of bikers on Yamahas challenged Jazz and I – we kicked ass, obviously. Jasper continued to gloat about his beating me for the rest of the day. I had a feeling – when we returned to Forks – both Jazz and Emmett would tease me about it.

The sun was lowering in the sky when Jasper turned off his bike. I looked at him in confusion, arching an eyebrow in question. The time was four thirty; not late at all. Even with the half hour journey back, it would only be five o'clock.

"Sorry Leah," he apologised, walking over with his bike. "We've gotta take off. Apparently we have somewhere to be this evening."

"Awh," I replied, disappointed. I'd had fun with Jasper. I was glad we'd had time actually getting to know one another. Though I didn't know trivial things like his favourite colour, I felt as if I actually knew his personality.

We loaded up the bikes and said bye to the rookie racers who had been examining our bikes. Then, we both climbed into the cab and Jasper turned on the engine, adjusting the heater and angrily turning off the radio when some Folk music began to play.

"So… what did you think?" Jasper asked me, curiously. His Texan accent was completely gone as he spoke; I thought it was odd. Throughout the day, he continued to slip into his Texan accent when he spoke. The sudden transitions gave me whiplash.

"It was awesome Jazz," I replied with a smirk. "We will have to go again so I can kick your ass though."

"As I remember, I kicked your ass today," he responded with a smirk.

"Shut up," I rolled my eyes.

"You're not going to try and hit me again are you?" he taunted.

I lashed out as quickly as possible, but Jasper was still quicker. He blocked me, rather than counter attacking. That just aggravated me further as I tried to duck under his arm with my other hand. He blocked that one too.

"Ugh," I groaned, glaring viciously at Jasper.

He chuckled. "C'mon darlin', we've got people to go and places to see," he said with a smirk, before gunning the engine and shooting from the parking lot.

* * *

><p><strong>A.N: N'aww, didn't you just lurve the bonding? Sorry if you were expecting LXE goodness, that will come next time.<strong>

**BECAUSE IT'S SO LONG AND IT WAS MY BIRTHDAY YESTERDAY I WANT A REVIEW FROM 100% OF YOU. LIKE NOW. GRR. **

**And I'm sorry if some people aren't reviewing because I appear scary... I mean I used to be afraid of reviewing when I was like ten. But if you aren't and you're just not bothered it's a bit different. Yahh I'm being all possessive over reviews. BUT I REALLY WANT TO HIT 500 or maybe even 600 by the end of this story... of 700. 700 Reviews was always my goal on FF. **

**PLEASE? I REALLY WANT 700. EVEN THOUGH IT'S SUPER UNLIKELY BECAUSE I'M NOT EVEN IN THE 600s yet. But I'd like to try. **


	41. La Bella Italia Part 1

**A.N: So, you guys all know I'm aiming for 700 by the end of the story. I know it's incredibly unlikely, especially considering that there are probably less than ten chapters left. If I was going to get 700 by the end, I would have to have 24 reviews for every chapter. That's six more than normal. I know it's all but impossible. **

**500 for this chapter? Next one is the dating thing... if I get more than five hundred by tomorrow morning; twelve hours from now here - I will neglect homework and begin writing the next one. M'kay? 500. Pleaseee? **

Chapter 41 – La Bella Italia

Leah Clearwater.

There was something fluent, flowing and beautiful about her name. I wondered briefly if I was biased – but then I shook the thought from my mind. Any fool would be blind if they were unable to see Leah's beauty. She was feisty, strong and quick tempered. Everything about her was inviting, enticing. I loved the way that she handled a crisis, loved the way that her eyes would sparkle when she spoke passionately about something… I loved the way that her eyes would flutter closed and she would tangle her hands in my hair when I kissed her.

It had been six hours exactly since the kiss. I found myself running my cool fingertips over my lips again, imagining the burning sensation that spread through my body like wildfire when she kissed me. I wanted to recreate the sensations, enjoy them for the rest of eternity. I wanted – more than anything – for her to be present, so that I could hug her and cherish her and express my undying love for her.

Though it was too soon to do any of those things. Leah would be happy with a hug, but she would be angry if I attempted to protect her. Leah loved her independence; she enjoyed being the strong woman whilst she was alone. If I tried to protect her, I knew I would only receive a swift punch to the face as thanks.

"Have Bella Italia called back?" The voice of my petulant little sister, Alice, snapped me from my reverie. The little pixie was bouncing up and down in her enthusiasm, her black spiky hair bouncing with her. Her eyes were large, bright golden. Apparently she had been hunting earlier in the day.

_I foresee them graciously accepting your offer and the restaurant being empty this evening… I also foresee you in a secluded part of the restaurant and surprisingly, I see the female waitress who will attempt to hit on you getting the hint and leaving you be. I'm surprised, actually, Edward, _Alice thought, a smirk present on her face.

I smirked, but the expression suddenly fell flat. I looked at Alice nervously, asking a silent question. Just as I had decided to actually voice my concerns, Alice's eyes widened as a vision played through her head at vampire speed. I watched in turn.

_"Will she like it, Alice? I want to do something that she'll find… romantic," _I saw myself ask, looking incredibly nervous.

Alice's head snapped up, her mind flicking through the future at top speed. She finally focused on a snapshot that her gift had provided her, and it seemed to grow, allowing Alice to watch the scene.

_Leah walked alongside me at a surprisingly slow speed. The walk that she used was more feminine than it was brisk, and a black clutch bag was clasped in her hand. I could see the bottom of her dress, which was deep blue, almost black. Her eyes twinkled as she walked towards me – I wore a suit, a white handkerchief tucked into my breast pocket. She finally reached me, and gently took my hand in her own. _

The vision slid to a halt, and Alice beamed at me, her eyes focused on the present rather than the future.

"That doesn't answer my question," I said after a long moment, trying to rid the image of Leah dressed in her beautiful deep blue dress from my mind.

"I should have known you'd say that," Alice said with an impatient huff. "Edward, can't you see that she doesn't mind where you are as long as she's with you?"

I considered that.

"But we've only been together for… six hours," I said, looking at Alice with one eyebrow arched.

Alice tapped her foot impatiently. "Edward, don't be such an ass. Just because Leah isn't a vampire doesn't mean that she can't feel things as strongly as us. You've always been so sceptical of human's emotions."

I frowned. "I believe in Leah's emotions," I said irritably.

"But you didn't believe in Bella's, did you?" Alice replied with a knowing smirk.

"Don't bring her up in this house," I snarled, shifting into a defensive position. "I feel nothing for her. I had nothing with her, I was delusional, ridiculous. I was hopeful that she was my mate, too desperate to find her… I was a fool, I was wrong. Bella and I had nothing. We will never have anything I do not _want _to have anything with her. Ever."

Alice held up her hands in defense. "I was merely throwing it in there. You aren't going to go all depressed again, are you Edward? Decide that you aren't good enough for Leah and run away, telling her that 'time heals all wounds?' I love you, Edward, but I will not let you hurt her."

I was surprised, above all things. I was offended, granted, but I was more surprised than anything else. I didn't know that Alice felt so strongly for Leah. I guessed that their makeover sessions had allowed the two to bond in some way. Though they were polar opposites… I supposed that both Leah and I were polar opposites too.

"I am not going to hurt her," I said after a slightly long pause. My eyes bore into Alice's, silently daring her to question me.

"You better not," Alice said grumpily. "She's twenty, yes, but she's still so young compared to us."

"And you are a child to me, Alice," I said with a smirk. Alice smartly stepped onto my foot – I winced slightly as she rammed her stone foot into my own toes.

Once our conversation had ended, I went through to the lounge where Emmett was enthusiastically dancing on Just Dance 3. Rosalie had purchased the game at Christmas, and the two had been addicted to it for several weeks. Though, Rosalie had gone off of the game shortly afterwards. Emmett was still obviously addicted.

Despite this, he suddenly put the game on pause as I entered the lounge. He dived onto the love seat enthusiastically, curling up on it possessively. As I moved around him, he snarled and hissed defensively. I barely refrained from chuckling; Emmett was so child like, it was almost unbelievable.

"So, you're finally getting some bro?" he asked as I sank down into the armchair in the corner.

In response, I aimed a lazy punch at Emmett. He let out a low, guttural snarl and dodged the blow. I feigned left easily – Emmett moved right instinctively before I delivered a strong punch to his jaw. I heard the echoing crack, smiled as Emmett roared in pain.

"Don't be so crude," Esme chastened him from the kitchen. She was making a cake for the hospital children and some bread for Leah. Though she never commented, I had picked from her mind that she loved home made bread. I knew she didn't mind as much about my presence in her head, but I tried to respect her privacy despite this.

"I'm taking Leah out this evening once she returns from Raymond with Jasper… we're going to Bella Italia," I told Emmett calmly.

"Dude!" he yelled. "That place is for pansies!" he shouted, throwing the remote for the television towards my head. I caught it easily, tossed it lightly back towards him. I was silently pleased that I hadn't crushed the fragile equipment in the process; even humans broke television remotes.

Emmett wasn't so lucky; he caught the remote and wrapped his fingers around it a little too hard. The black plastic crushed, splinters falling from the remote onto Esme's freshly vacuumed white carpet.

"Emmett," she chastened once again. "You're cleaning that up, Mister."

"Yes Mom," Emmett replied, in the way that a petulant child would. I allowed a smile to slip onto my face as Emmett groaned loudly and threw himself back onto the love-seat, dangling his feet in the air.

"Leah enjoys pizza," I said, a little annoyed at Emmett's knocking of my choice of restaurant. I knew that Leah enjoyed her McDonalds a lot, but she had admitted that it was an embarrassing place to go… she told me that she always used the Drive-Thru. I would have to remember that for future reference.

Leah did enjoy pizza though. She preferred thin crust to thick – which surprised me. Thick crust – or deep pan – pizza was the more traditionally American of the two. It was thicker, usually found in Pizza Hut or other places that were similar. The thin crust originated from Italy.

I also knew that Bella Italia did very good 'pub' chips, if you will. There were two types, thin stick chips like McDonald's chips, or thicker chips. They were healthier, with a larger amount of potato. They were very salty; apparently… the searching that I had done online showed that the chips were very good. Though, I knew Leah would not prefer them to McDonald's.

Thinking upon this made me wonder.

"Esme," I called.

"Yes dear?" Esme replied, peeping her head into the room. She looked curious, her face soft and relaxed. Though she was a woman of a curious nature, she never pried into private business and always tried to do her best to comfort and offer suitable advice. She was the perfect mother.

"What time are we expecting Jasper and Leah to arrive back?" I asked.

"You'd be better asking Alice that," Esme said with a small smile. "Jasper estimated around five o'clock… I'm not entirely sure myself. Alice?" she asked at the same volume.

"Just about ten to five," Alice called in response, her voice the normal volume. Vampire hearing was both a blessing and a curse. It was a curse at night, a blessing when you needed to track or to hunt.

"Thanks Alice," I said.

I heard my shopaholic sister resume her actions. She was going through Leah's closet while she was away; the oak wardrobe in the corner of my room was large, but not large enough for Alice's tastes. I knew that Leah had a few pairs of her favourite jeans stowed away in a suitcase – which was locked with a padlock – to prevent Alice destroying them. Apparently it was too late to stop her, though.

I sighed heavily, looked towards the glass doors leading to the garden. The time was currently 2:45pm. I wondered briefly how slowly the remainder of the afternoon was going to go.

XxXxExLxXxX

Alice bounced down the stairs enthusiastically, the sound of her light feet tapping against the glass alerting me of her presence. Her enthusiastic demeanor never failed to shock me, the way that she was continually happy… Though I realised why she was so happy a moment later when she called out loudly;

"They're back!"

A low cheer went through the house. The day had been considerably dull without Leah and Jasper. I assumed it was to do with the fact that two of our mates were gone. Though Alice and I were very good friends – more than that, even – we were not entirely on the same wavelength. We could only speak to one another for so long before it became either boring or just silent. It was rarely awkward with my family, but there was only so much we could say to one another.

I all but flew towards the front door, but Alice's petite hands wrapped securely around my forearms, pulling me backwards into the lounge. I could see the light of Jasper's headlights reflecting from the leaves in the forest surrounding the house.

"Give them time," Alice told me sternly. "Leah wants to speak to Jasper before they come inside. Go and make sure that you have the tie still. I saw Emmett attempting to cover it with green food dye a couple of hours ago."

"Okay," I replied, rushing up the stairs.

Alice had supplied me with a perfect suit, and the perfect tie to match. She was truly the fashionista of the family. I loved the tie that she had found though; it was midnight blue with tiny stars crossing the material in diagonal lines. The stars were so small that they appeared to be dots to human eyes.

I glanced fleetingly at the suit that she had supplied before shooting back down the stairs again. I could hear Jasper and Leah's conversation even from the top floor of the house, but I still fought against my senses in an attempt to give them privacy.

But apparently no other member of my family had the same morals as I. Alice and Emmett both had their brows creased in concentration as they listened. Esme was humming to herself, but I could tell that she was listening from the smile that played around the edges of her lips and the way that she threw herself into baking with a passion. In her mind, I saw that Esme was glad Leah had been accepted by everyone.

"Edward?" though Esme's voice was a whisper, I knew that even Jasper outside would have heard her. I wondered if Leah could hear us too.

Not dwelling on that thought, I moved into the kitchen and gently pushed the door closed. It creaked slightly as the wood met the doorframe. Silence – aside from the constant creaking of the house – filled the room.

"Esme?" I asked, my voice lower than a whisper by this point. I knew Emmett and Alice would still be able to hear me – as would Jasper – but I was certain that Leah could not.

"I just wondered where you are planning on taking Leah this evening," Esme asked, her voice too fast for a human mind to follow and her tone too low for a human to pick up.

"La Bella Italia, I think," I replied, my tone matching Esme's.

"It's a wonderful place," Esme gushed immediately. Though she was a vampire, incapable of feeding from human foods herself, Esme immersed herself in the hobby of cooking. She had even joined a 'forum' about foods of all kinds. She was thinking back to one of the 'threads' on her 'forum' which was about La Bella Italia. Apparently the pizza was thin crusted and perfect quality, with just the right amount of cheese. The author of the post had described the contrast of tomato and mozzarella cheese as 'fantastic.'

Moving on. I was automatically repelled at the concept of consuming human food. My throat became drier, venom absent from my tongue as I imagined the sickly cheese and tomato, a glass of water beside it. I held my breath, exhaled heavily through my mouth so as to not pick up scents of human food.

"I'm glad," I managed to reply once I had regained composure. "Do you think that one pizza will be enough to sate a werewolf appetite?" I added, curious as to Esme's opinion. Though we none of us were human, Esme had the best and broadest knowledge when it came to human foods.

"I suppose you could get a side… I hear they do wonderful garlic bread. If you get some garlic bread and chips, it doesn't seem as if you're trying to pile food onto her but equally, she won't be left hungry after the meal."

I loved Esme's logic. My mother took such a female view on things; it was refreshing, especially when trying to charm a woman. I didn't want Leah to think that I thought she had a large appetite. I knew that women did not appreciate that kind of thing…

I smiled at my mother figure. She smiled back; a beaming smile. I hadn't seen her so happy since… since I was with Bella.

Before I could think on this, Esme had lurched forwards and embraced me, almost crushing me in her cast iron grip. Her stone cheek rested against my shoulder, and she exhaled heavily in a low sigh.

"I'm so happy that you found her, Edward," she said. Her voice was so quiet that I had to hold my breath to hear her. "It's taken you such a time, you've been waiting for her for to long… and now she's here. It makes me so happy to see my first son finally get his happily ever after."

My mother's speech reminded me of my blood mother. Elisabeth Masen; she was a strong, independent woman despite the fact that I grew up in the 1900s. My Mother didn't appreciate my father doting on her, attempting to be savvy by buying her expensive, luxurious gifts. She liked simple things… she enjoyed getting gifts so long as they weren't overly expensive. My Mother was very fussy, despite the fact that her tastes were simple.

I immediately thought of Esme. She didn't mind expense in the slightest; though she had been born into this family knowing that we had millions of dollars saved up for centuries. Esme enjoyed simple things too; she was a doting mother, too. She constantly worried for all of her 'children' even though we were all vampires, all immortal and incapable of being hurt by humans. She liked to make sure we were all happy, liked to decorate our rooms and offer advice whenever we needed it.

I realised – with a sudden jolt back to reality – that Esme had done more than I could ever thank her for over the years. Even when I had 'fallen in love' with Isabella Swan, she had been sympathetic, offering sound advice and smiling whenever she saw that I was happy. She didn't judge Bella because she was a human, and she hadn't judged Leah just because she was a werewolf.

I smiled. Esme was irreplaceable.

I hugged Esme tightly in response to her earlier words.

"Thank you," I said, knowing that my words could not convey the gratitude that I felt for my mother.

XxXxXxX

**A.N: I know it was shorter than usual, but I decided to split this chap into two. Next one is... the date at Bella Italia! I love that restaurant! **

**500 reviews = chapter sooner. **

**PS: I have written the epilogue and the final chapter! Not any others, granted... but I know how it will end now! I feel as if I've spoiled it for myself... Which is really weird because I wrote this... lol. **

**500. Pleaseeeee? **


	42. La Bella Italia Part 2

**A.N: Okay, pardon my french but this chapter was giving me some SERIOUS SHIT. I had WB, my computer hated me, etc... sorry about the lateness of it and everything.**

**Sorry, this is also important (i just added this) but I'm getting an ipad! Like yayaz! I was wondering if anybody knew... can you upload ff docs from an ipad? If you can't i'm a bit screwed... please let me know if you know! **

**THIS IS IMPORTANT: **

**Review. **

**IMPORTANTNESS OVER. LOL. **

**So yeah, I'm sorry about the lateness - but guess what? I got inspired to finally write something original! It's a 'ghost story' about a girl who can talk/see ghosts. So yeah, I was writing that for like ageessss. **

**Anyway. **

**READ/REVIEW**

Chapter 42 – La Bella Italia (Part 2)

"Leah!" Alice exclaimed as soon as I walked through the door. I was already fairly tired from my day out; Alice's bubbly, enthusiastic personality only made me feel even more exhausted.

"Hi Alice," I said wearily, not even trying to sound upbeat.

"How was your day?" she asked, bouncing on her toes.

"It was really good, Jas –"

"Come on, I need to get you dressed," Alice interrupted me.

"What?" I asked, blinking in shock. Before I could demand to know what the fuck Alice was talking about, she had grabbed my arm and pulled me upstairs.

"Edward's taking you on a date," Alice said, releasing my arm once we were in her room. She disappeared into her closet, remerging with a red dress. It seemed that red was the only colour Alice had for me.

"You don't like purple," Alice said by way of explanation. "Black doesn't suit you… you didn't look thrilled about the white, blue reminded you of Swan, green made you think of sick, you hate orange, pink was a definite no, what else was there?"

"Hang on," I processed her words. "Edward's taking me on a date?"

"Yep!" she popped the 'p.'

"Why?" I asked suspiciously. "This wasn't your idea, was it?" I glared at her.

"Of course not," Alice replied cheerfully. "Edward's a hopeless romantic, remember?"

I grinned.

Alice curled my hair – apparently Edward particularly liked it curled and held up in a bun. I wasn't sure why Alice was bothering so much; Edward could take what he got. But I let her have her fun anyway; I did want to look good if we were going out.

"Where's he taking me?" I asked as Alice pulled my hair up into a bun.

"It's a surprise," Alice replied.

"How unoriginal," I scoffed.

Alice blinked. "What?"

"It's always a surprise for a first date, isn't it? I mean, what's the point?"

Alice chuckled. Then, she leaned over and whispered in my ear; her voice was so quiet, even with werewolf senses I strained to hear it.

"He's taking you to a restaurant," she whispered.

It was the typical first date, and yet I knew it would be so much more than that; just because it was with Edward.

I knew it was real, with Edward. I pictured my life in twenty years, and I saw Edward standing there beside me. I imagined the child that I could never, ever have bundled in my arms, imagined her bright eyes and curly bronze ringlets.

Fuck, Leah.

I pulled myself from my thoughts just as Alice finished styling my hair. I glanced briefly at my reflection, thanked Alice and bolted down the stairs to see Edward.

He was waiting for me.

Dressed in a tuxedo with a blue tie around his neck, the black colour accented his pale skin. Normally, to werewolves, the white skin tone was repulsive. In my mind, it was incredibly sexy.

I blinked. My thoughts had become inappropriate very quickly.

"You took this better than I anticipated," Edward greeted me with a smile.

"I like stuff like this," I grinned in turn. "It's been a long time since someone's made the effort."

Edward frowned. "I doubt that. You're an incredibly sexy one, Leah," he grinned.

I swatted him with my hand. "You're not meant to say that until the third date, stupid. It goes, pretty, beautiful, then sexy."

"But you always look beautiful," Edward sounded confused.

I groaned. "You're meant to say, 'you always look sexy,'" I replied. "You need lessons, Ed."

"Thank you," he said with a smirk. It took me a minute.

I smacked him roughly again.

He laughed, before pulling my into a hug. "Is it sad to say that I missed you today?" he asked.

"Honest answer?" I replied, smiling. He nodded solemnly.

"Yes, it is," I grinned at his pouting face.

"It's a beautiful place," I commented, looking around the restaurant. We were the only people there; soft music played through the speakers, a bright red curtain separated the booths. Edward had literally sprung the date upon me after confusing me with a long, passionate kiss.

I was surprised at his nerve, though I understood why he was so confident. Usually, when best friends became something more, the relationship was awkward at first, confusing. Yet, with Edward and I, it felt as if we'd been a couple since we first met. There was barely a difference; we still held hands, still hugged. Only, we kissed and flirted – though we did flirt before, I supposed – and generally had a laugh together. I was happy when he was there.

"And the food is good?" Edward replied, with a smile. He'd been worried over the quality of the food, thinking that the concept of taking me to a restaurant for a first date was cliché. He was ready to cancel the whole thing and take me elsewhere when I stepped in and told him I'd love to go to a fancy restaurant with him.

And I'd taken a leaf out of his book – I'd kissed him passionately to confuse him.

"It's lovely," I replied with a grin, an idea formulating in my mind. "Want some?" I shoved the slice of pizza that I held towards Edward's face.

He grimaced.

"No, thank you," he said, voice tight.

He knew I wouldn't take no for an answer, though. I shoved the pizza right in his face, the tomato dotting on his nose. I could see a bit of grease shining on his face under the mood lighting.

Edward's grimace deepened, a crease formed in his brow.

"I hate you," he said sarcastically.

"Love you too," I replied, taking a bite of my pizza.

Edward grinned at my words. I was surprised at how relaxed I'd become; I'd expected it to be awkward.

We talked. We fell into a simple pattern, discussing several things. Edward brought up music; which led to an animated debate of AC/DC vs. Guns and Roses. I thought that AC/DC was much better; Edward was adamant that Guns and Roses had more talent.

Once I had finished, we continued to argue for a couple of minutes before I decided to challenge him.

"D'you want to take this outside?" I asked in a gruff, threatening voice.

"I certainly do," Edward replied readily, a grin forming on his face. He quickly hid it.

"Excuse me, can I get the bill?" Edward asked in a raised tone. A couple of seconds later, a waitress popped her head through the curtain and handed Edward the bill. He handed her a hundred dollar bill as a tip, and one hundred dollars for the food.

"Keep the change," he said with a smile.

We quickly left, and as soon as we reached the car park, I turned on Edward.

"AC/DC," I said firmly.

"Guns and Roses," he replied.

I took a step closer. "AC/DC."

"Guns and Roses."

Another step; "AC/DC."

"Guns and Roses," Edward murmured.

"If you kiss back, it's AC/DC," I whispered, before crashing my lips against his.

He didn't kiss back at first, so I taunted him. I lightly pulled away before gently trailing my tongue across his lips. Almost instantly, Edward's control was lost as he responded with enthusiasm. His arms wrapped around my waist, pulled me closer. One of my hands moved up to tangle in his hair, whilst the other moved slowly into the pocket of his tuxedo. My hand wrapped around his car keys.

I pulled away with a grin, leaving Edward looking breathless. He looked a little dazed.

"I win," I said smugly, waving the car keys before his face. Then, I turned on heel and climbed into the car quickly, into the driver's seat.

As I revved the engine, I looked through the windshield to see Edward still stood in the same spot, the same dazed expression present on his face.

I grinned.

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><p><strong>As I said, it was giving me a helluva lot of shit. Sorry about the quality; next one should be better. <strong>

**Any requests for stuff? **

**BTW; I've decided to do that thing that somebody (a reviewer who will know who they are) requested. The thing in La Push? With the ... argument? And the... reactino? **

**Hopefully that doesn't spoil things for the rest of you's. **

**REVIEW NOW!**

**By the way, how would you guys feel about a time skip? **


	43. One Year Later

**A.N: I decided to do the time skip; sorry to all of you who wanted to see the blossoming romance. If there's a particular bit of romance that you want to see that will have happened during the one year gap, let me know in reviews or a PM and I'll write an outtake for it. M'kay? Just to please everyone.**

* * *

><p><strong><em>I was a bit disappointed. I only got ten reviews for the last chap. Normally I get 1819. Maybe I can get more for this one? _**

* * *

><p><strong>The time skip is ONE YEAR. <strong>

_**Remember, if you want to see any romance that would have occured during the year gap, tell me and I'll write it up as an outtake for you. **_

Chapter 43 – One Year Later

"Oi! Dickhead!" I snarled, ramming my fist into the steering wheel. The loud blaring of the horn almost made me jump, but I was too angry to care as I continued to roughly slam my fists against the leather steering wheel of my Ferrari 458 Spider.

It had been a present from Edward on the date of my twentieth birthday. Naturally, I'd freaked out about the amount of money – I was grateful for the gift, just shocked that he'd spent so much on me. In turn, Edward had effectively stunned me by wrapping his arms around me and then _squeezing my butt _as he kissed me; like the perverted seventeen year old boy he was inside.

"Get off the fucking road!" I growled, jabbing the horn again but being gentler. I didn't want to damage the extraordinarily amazing car that I drove; though I knew Edward would replace it if I did break it, I didn't like the idea of him spending another god knows how much to buy a new car.

The dickhead in front of me was driving a Ford Focus; personally, I thought it was a hideous car. It was a black model, but he'd gotten red brake callipers fitted and had two red stripes across the bonnet. I could see what a fucking dick he must've been just from the state of his car.

There was a steady stream of traffic in the other lane; effectively stopping me from overtaking. The cocky ass bastard grinned smugly – I could see the expression in his rear view mirror.

My phone rang; I glanced down from looking at the car in front to see who was calling.

_Alice. _I assumed she'd seen something bad happening; I'd probably tried to kill the cocky bastard who wouldn't move out of the fucking way for a more able driver with a much better car.

There was a break in the traffic. Small, but just big enough.

I stomped down hard on the gas, feeling the power underneath the car's sleek body unleash as I spun the steering wheel. The car shot forwards, moving alongside the car in front.

I wound down the window closest to cocky asshole. He had both of his windows open, his stereo turned up to full as he tortured the world around him with distasteful rap music. I fought the urge to cringe.

"Oi, dickhead!" I shouted over the music. His head whipped around to look at me. "Next time you want to be an arse, don't challenge a better driver with a much better car!"

With that said, I pushed down firmly on the accelerator and disappeared down the road in front of him. The black Ford Focus disappeared as I drove back towards Forks.

It had been exactly a year since Edward and I had gotten together. Since then, he'd been nothing other than the perfect boyfriend. He was gentlemanly, overprotective – but I put him in his place whenever he went over the top – and he still managed to be the hormonal boyfriend who couldn't seem to resist kissing me. A lot.

My temper… had remained the same. The constant interactions with Edward hadn't made me more docile or anything. His calm persona hadn't rubbed off on me.

For example, when Bella had visited the Cullen's household about three months ago.

"_What the fuck?" I hissed out as I caught the scent. Freesia, mixed with strawberries. It made my nose wrinkle up in distaste, and then anger – no, it was more than that. Fury enveloped me, curled around my stomach and blocked any rational thoughts as I flew down the stairs at top speed, my figure blurring as I stopped at the entrance of the lounge. _

_Isabella Swan stood awkwardly beside the TV. Emmett and Jasper were playing 2 player on Modern Warfare 3. I guessed they hadn't acknowledged her in the slightest. _

"_Hi guys," Bitch-ella said. _

_No reaction whatsoever. I bit back a smug smile. Hell yeah bitch, that's what you get. _

"_What the fuck are you doing here?" I snarled. _

_Emmett and Jasper's heads snapped up in sync, both of them staring at me with worry in their eyes. My temper had gotten them into all kinds of tight spots over the last few months. _

_She looked like a deer caught in headlights. _

"_I came to see Alice," her voice shook noticeably. _

"_Bullshit," I replied, my voice slightly calmer. _

"_I did," Bella replied, her voice equally calm. _

"_You don't need to appease her by playing dress up," I snarled. "She doesn't need a doll anymore. Besides, I'm not even sure she wants you here. You did stomp on her brother's heart, pick it back up again and then bite into it with your fangs." _

_I wasn't sure where that analogy had come from. Metaphorical fangs? What the fuck? _

_I was glad Edward was out hunting. He wasn't bothered by Bella anymore, but I didn't want to stir old memories. _

_Shit. Sod's law came into play as I heard the sound of approaching footsteps. Roughly two miles away; I groaned aloud. I probably had about thirty seconds. _

"_Get out," I said, my voice deathly calm again. _

"_This isn't your house," she replied. _

"_Like hell it's not. Get out," I hissed. I knew it wasn't really my house, but it had become a second home for me. Esme and Carlisle had made sure that I knew I was welcomed there. _

"_Emmett," Bitch-ella asked. _

_He didn't respond. _

"_That's code for 'get the fuck off of our fucking property,'" I hissed at her. _

"_I just want to see Alice!" she protested. _

"_Well, you should've fucking called. It's rude to make a surprise visit when every other inhabitant of the house hates your guts," I snarled, my body starting to tremble with the urge to phase. _

"_Get. Out," I forced out from between clenched teeth. _

_And she looked from Jasper, to Emmett, back to me. Then, she looked up at me with terrified eyes and fled. _

Yeah, I'd had a few run ins with Bitch-ella. When Jacob had found out that Edward and I were together, he'd decided to take a surprise visit to the Cullen household.

And apparently, Bitch-ella had demanded to come with him.

"_Jake!" I exclaimed, like a frickin' idiot. Jake grinned widely, pulled me into a warm hug and then decided he'd have a laugh by rubbing his stubbly chin against my cheek. I swatted him away, glaring as I stepped back. _

_Edward slipped his hand firmly around mine. I didn't mind; he had the right to be possessive around Jacob. I squeezed his hand gently, enjoying the feeling of his cool hand around my own. _

"_Jake, you didn't lock the car…" _

_Oh shit. I froze, my entire frame just locking in place. I felt Edward do the same; his grip on my hand tightened considerably, as if it was his lifeline. I squeezed his hand rhythmically, trying to calm him in turn. _

_Bitch-ella entered the house, her hair pulled up into a scraggy bun. I took note of the fact that our hair styles were the same. With my free hand, I pulled the bobble from my hair. I didn't want to look like her in any way. _

_Edward noticed. A small, half smile lit up his face and he squeezed my hand in turn. His muscles relaxed; he seemed much calmer instantly. _

_He leaned over to whisper in my ear._

"_It's your oh so calming influence," he said. I felt his cool skin brush against my cheek as he pulled away._

_Bitch-ella stared at us with wide eyes. Her mouth hung open slightly; her eyes took in our intertwined hands, noticed the way that we were both smiling slightly even though she had entered the room._

"_You're together?" her voice broke. _

"_Yes," Edward replied before I had a chance to. _

"_Don't," he said, his voice quieter than a human was able to hear._

_I ignored him; "Got a fucking problem, get out of the fucking house." _

"_Leah," Edward reprimanded at a low volume. _

_I rolled my eyes. _

"_I didn't think you'd… I thought it would have more of an effect on you," Bitch-ella said, her voice wavering. _

_I snarled; the sound was guttural and furious. I didn't even try to contain myself as my frame shook furiously at her words._

"_What, did you want him to be miserable for the rest of his existence? Did you want to hurt him for eternity?" _

_My shaking increased. _

"_Leah," Edward whispered from beside me. A second later, I felt his arms wrap around my body securely. The cool temperature calmed me considerably; instantly my shaking stopped and I relaxed._

"_Sorry," I apologised. _

"_Chill," he said. I almost laughed; 'chill' was not one of those University degree words that Edward normally used._

"_I didn't mean that," Bitch-ella spoke only to Edward. "I'm sorry… I'm just surprised. You always said that we were permanent mates." _

"_That changed when you chose another," Edward replied calmly. "Mates don't abandon one another." _

_She looked as if she'd been slapped in the face. I couldn't stop the vindictive smile from spreading across my face._

"_I'm happy for you, Edward. I'm glad you've got someone… I just expected someone…" _

"_Don't go there," I warned, my voice flat. _

_Bitch-ella smiled sheepishly. "Sorry." _

_I didn't smile back._

I parked up in the superstore parking lot, climbed out and locked the Ferrari. I could hear people murmuring; 'Look, a Ferrari!' etc. I rolled my eyes. People in a small town weren't used to seeing big, expensive sports cars on the road.

I went around the store slowly, humming as I picked up food. Esme used to be the one who bought food for the house, but since I had become a permanent resident of the Cullen house, I'd taken up the responsibility instead.

I'd moved in with Edward after six months. It was such a short time, and it flew by – yet it felt as if we'd been together forever. There was nothing forced about our relationship; it was natural, easy as breathing. Even when Edward had become terrified one night…

"_Edward?" I mumbled sleepily. I could hear a small ripping sound, like somebody was trying to stay quiet and prevent themselves from crying. The sound was enough to bring me around – even though I was very possessive over my sleep._

_There was no response; the sound became louder._

"_What the fuck is going on?" I groaned, opening my eyes and looking around the room. _

_Edward was sat at his desk, his eyes wide; glazed over with unshed tears. In all the time that I'd known him, I'd never seen him look more terrified than he did at that moment. _

_Worry spiked; I forgot all about being tired as I jumped out of the bed and literally flew towards him. I didn't have to worry about the fact that the Cullens could hear; they'd all gone out hunting during the night._

"_Edward, what's wrong?" I asked as I wrapped my arms around him, bending down slightly so that our eyes were on the same level. "Edward, talk to me." _

"_My venom," he said quietly. _

"_What?" I blinked. "Edward, what's going on?" _

"_What if I'm poisoning you? Leah… I don't want you to get hurt. Because of me," he said, his voice throaty with raw emotion. _

"_Edward," I said, thinking about it. "Are you trying to say that you think I'm going to die… because I've been kissing you?" _

_I laughed at the absurdity of his words._

"_Edward, if I was going to end up being poisoned from kissing you, we would know. It's not as if we never kiss. I mean, hell Edward, werewolves who are poisoned writhe in pain for ages, even if they barely touch vampire venom! I think it's safe to say I'm immune." _

"_Immune?" _

"_Edward, we've got some kind of freaky connection. You say that my mind is incredibly potent to you… your scent isn't hideous to me, I have urges, I think you're sexy rather than grossly unnaturally beautiful. Your turn," I grinned at him. _

"_You're the most sexy, beautifully smelling girl in the world?" he asked, grinning. _

_I smirked. "Nice job Jethero. Next time, don't be such a pussy, okay?" _

_Edward laughed; the sound was incredibly carefree and relaxed._

I found myself at the self checkout. My trolley wasn't filled; there were only a few odd items in it. Coffee, sugar, microwave pizza… there wasn't much there.

I held the microwave pizza over the scanner.

"Item unaccepted."

I rolled my eyes, my earlier rage returning a little as I rescanned it.

"Item unaccepted."

I scanned it again.

"Item unaccepted."

Again. My teeth were gritted in frustration.

"Item unaccepted."

"WHAT THE FUCK!" I exploded.

A second later, a blush heated my cheeks as I realised everyone was staring at me. I had half a mind to come back to the store later with Edward and murder the self checkout, just for the sake of it.

"Calm down," a very familiar voice said from behind me.

"Stalker," I greeted, though I was actually very pleased to see him.

Edward moved to stand beside me and took the pizza from my hand. He moved it fluidly over the scanner.

There was a beep of confirmation.

I growled, low and hard.

"You weren't trying hard enough," Edward said sarcastically.

I roughly swatted his stomach.

"What did Alice want?" I asked as we walked away from the store. Edward held both shopping bags in his hands; he hadn't allowed me to carry anything. Apparently I was too fragile.

My fucking arse.

"If it means that much to you, you can hold one," I noticed he held the lighter of the two bags out to me. I shrugged and took it anyway; that was a little more normal.

"Alice?" I prompted.

"She saw you casually ramming into the… guy's car," I noticed his hesitance around the word 'guy.'

I laughed. "I bet Alice has a hell of a laugh seeing me do all kinds of ridiculous things."

Edward chuckled. "She does."

We got into the car; Edward took the driver's seat. I felt kind of obliged to give him the right; he'd bought me the car, after all.

"Alice wants to play dress up," Edward told me as he put the car into reverse.

"Of course she does," I said, bitingly sarcastic.

"She wants to dress you for our anniversary?" Edward tried, peeking at me from the corner of his eye.

I froze.

"You planned something, didn't you?" I asked calmly.

"Maybe," he replied mysteriously.

"You know, saying maybe in this situation is just the same as saying yes. If you hadn't planned anything, you wouldn't want to get my hopes up," I commented wryly.

Edward rolled his eyes. "You're too practical."  
>"Why does she want to dress me?" I asked, going back to the matter at hand.<p>

"Because I'm taking you out somewhere… I thought we established this," Edward quirked an eyebrow.

"Shut up, smart arse."

Edward chuckled.

"Let me guess, it's a red dress," I repressed the urge to roll my eyes.

"You guessed correctly," Edward replied.

His phone buzzed almost immediately. He'd upgraded since his JCB Tough Phone, though he'd kept the same brand of phone. He said that the phone reminded him of me. I thought it was sweet; Emmett thought it was stupid. He had the iPhone 4S, of course.

I groaned. I was starting to hate the colour red.

"If it helps," Edward's mouth was suddenly close to my ear. "I think it makes you look even more sexy than usual."

I had been giving him lessons on womanly etiquette.

I turned my head to peck him on the lips. As he tried to lean in for more, I pulled away.

"Tease," he grunted.

"You know, the woman normally says that to the man," I commented again.

"Shut up," he said, rolling his eyes.

I frowned.

"Where are you taking me?" I asked curiously.

"It's a secret."

"Secrets are pointless," I said wryly.

"No they're not. They're fun," Edward grinned childishly as we turned down the road to his house.

"You sound like an idiot."

Edward chuckled, but didn't retaliate. Wise of him.

"I can't believe it's been a year," I admitted in a small voice.

"Has it gone fast?" Edward asked, looking curiously at me.

"Incredibly so. And sometimes it feels as if we've been together since… forever. Or some crappily romantic sappy thing like that," I added to lighten the mood a little.

Edward chuckled. "I'm surprised you wanted to wait."

"Oh god, don't bring this up," I said, a blush flushing my cheeks.

"Bella never wanted to," he said.

"And I'm not Bella," I replied simply. Edward chuckled.

"Damn right. You're much more sexy than her," he grinned at me suggestively.

"I like your views Ed. I'll respect them. But I always regretted… Sam," I trailed off, a lump in my throat. I wasn't a… virgin, like Edward. Sam had been with me first. I always regretted it.

"I understand, Lee," he replied calmly. "I want to wait. I was raised that way."

We both grinned.

"Oldie," I said.

"Child," he responded wryly.

"Sometimes I feel weird dating someone who's physically seventeen," I commented as the car stopped on the drive.

"I know I was seventeen when I was changed… but I don't appear seventeen. I probably look about twenty; as do you. My mental age is one hundred and ten, Leah. I think it's safe to say that our relationship is justified."

We both smiled.

"Ready for the Alice?" Edward asked.

"Not yet," I replied, adjusting myself in the seat.

"Wh –" I cut him off, suddenly shoving my lips against his. The mixture of fire and ice, slowly burning together as we kissed. The passion that filled both of us amplified as we touched; Edward's hand touched my stomach gently, the other reaching around to tangle in my hair.

I found myself repositioned on his lap, moved my hands to tangle in his soft ginger hair.

He pulled away; both of us were gasping for breath.

"Not ginger," he said firmly, looking at me with a smile.

"Always ginger," I replied with a smug smirk, before climbing out of the car and towards my own personal demon.

Alice.

**A.N: Super long one! I wanted to treat you all and I felt a little bad about the time skip. Let me know what you think as always?**

**But only nice. Nice reviews. I don't know what you'll think of hte time skip, I'm hoping for a good response. **


	44. A Surprise

**A.N: Thank you so much for all the lovely reviews! I'm gonna be sad and waste five minutes listing everyone who this chapter is dedicated to: **

** Bluestorm of thunderclan, MT, twilightlvr4vr, capp'n, footballer96, brankel1, gothchiq80, REJ624, pixieinme, dfwscenechic, the lovely Mesusa8000, Alice825, she is brighter, and Im The Nights Shadow.**

** Love you all! **

** Also, in regards to spelling errors… well, I do apologise for them. I'm not trying to sound like I'm super confident or whatever the phrase is, but most of the errors are typos. Still, I'm sorry if they affect the reading experience for yous. **

** I recently learned that if you beg for reviews it can scare people away… so sorry about that if I've scared you off. **

** This is my favourite chapter so far. Obviously, my total favourite is the big one that has yet to come up. I hope you guys enjoy reading this one as much as I enjoyed writing it.**

Chapter 44 – A Surprise

One year ago, I would have looked into the mirror at my reflection and scowled bitterly. I would have seen myself, dressed up in a bright red number with my hair curled and twisted up into a bun, and I would have felt so incredibly angry with myself, Jasper wouldn't have been able to stay in the house due to the strength of my emotions. Before Edward, I had been very self conscious about my looks. I'd considered myself… not ugly, just not pretty.

Now, I felt beautiful.

Alice had done a wonderful job on my clothes, and Edward had done a wonderful job on raising my self confidence. Every time he saw me, whether it be in the middle of the night when I woke up with a sore throat and a bad mood, or when I was dressed up for an evening out with his family, he complimented how I looked.

It started off simple, when we'd first begun dating. Little things; 'I like your shoes' or 'your hair looks shiny today.' But as our relationship grew more serious, and our feelings became more intense, he'd stopped complimenting the smaller things, and he'd gone way over the top. He started mentioning my dresses when we went to clubs and things. He'd call me gorgeous, or even beautiful.

Now, pretty much every day, it was beautiful.

I wasn't normally such a romantic sap; or rather, I hadn't been until I'd gotten with Edward. But every time he called me beautiful, it made my heart melt a little bit. I felt beautiful now, just because every time he looked at me, he made it seem as if I was the most beautiful woman he'd ever laid his eyes on.

"You are," Edward called from downstairs. Obviously, he'd been keeping tabs on my thoughts. That was all he ever did; apparently his life consisted of snooping around my head, or kissing me.

He'd abandoned me to Alice, given me over willingly. I didn't exactly enjoy my makeovers with Alice now, but I felt as if had no choice for my anniversary night out. I didn't want to look bad, but I didn't want Alice to spend hours torturing me. Unfortunately, the desire to look good had overruled any common sense I had.

"What do you think?" Alice asked me, examining my facial expressions carefully. I wasn't entirely sure what she could see there; I just felt shocked, above all things.

"I think it's amazing," I said with a huge grin. "Thanks, Ali. It means a lot. And I know I hate you doing makeovers and stuff… and dressing me up… but it means a lot that you'd spend so much time on me."

Alice smirked. "It means a lot that you actually let me spend said time on you," she retaliated.

We both grinned.

Alice led me down the stairs. Apparently, she was aiming for the big entrance, hoping to impress everyone in the house. She took my hand in her small, cold one and pulled me to the stairs. I walked steadily; Alice hadn't forced me into heels. I didn't like being as tall as Edward when I wore heels; it made me feel too tall.

We stopped on the bottom step, and there was a collective gasp. I assumed Alice had planned that, too.

Rose, Emmett, Esme, Carlisle, Jasper and Edward were all stood in the hallway. Rose didn't look bored as she would have done a year ago; she looked interested and honestly happy. Esme had her hands clapped over her mouth; I could see the sparkling of her eyes. Carlisle had his arm wrapped around Esme's waist; he was beaming, too. Jasper just looked amused; as he saw me looking at him, he mockingly pretended to tip the edge of his cowboy hat. It was an inside joke.

Emmett – being the idiot that he was – loudly decided to shout; "Holy shit Leah, you look hot!"

As Jasper was closest to him, he took the opportunity to punch his adoptive brother in the gut.

My eyes fell on the only member of the family whose reaction I hadn't seen.

Edward.

As girly, hormonal and silly as it was to even think, he looked _hot. _

He wore a tuxedo, for some reason. He always looked incredibly dashing in a tuxedo; the contrast of black and his white skin made him seem less human, and yet it made him seem even more like Edward. I knew he despised his species, but I couldn't imagine him as a human. I could only see him as the strange, lonely vampire.

"Gorgeous," Edward whispered. The word rolled from his tongue easily; it sounded as if he had a British accent for the briefest of moments.

"Dashing," I replied, also whispering.

He appeared in front of me suddenly, having moved at vampire speed. Up close, I could see that he'd attempted to tame his ginger hair with a gel of some kind. It obviously hadn't worked.

"Auburn," he protested.

"Ginger," I replied with a smirk.

He shook his head. "I can't win."

"Better to learn that now, man," Emmett commented.

There was a loud smack; I guessed it was Rose.

"We better be off, then," Edward said, aiming his words at his family.

There was a chorus of 'have fun!' and 'be safe!' and such from the normal Cullens.

And Emmett;

"Use protection!"

There was a loud smack; Rose again. I smirked, almost laughing at Emmett's crude words. The guy had no censor.

I intertwined my hand with Edward's as we walked to the door. He suddenly swung my body up into his arms, and I gasped, laughing in shock as Edward carried me down the steps. Even though he was a super strong vampire, he made it seem as if I weighed nothing. At all.

"Remember what I said about the pro –" Emmett was cut off with another loud 'SMACK!'

Edward put me down in the car seat, and shut the door on me. He moved around the car at vampire speed, sat down in the driver's seat and put the key in the ignition.

"You make me seem like a child, sometimes," I commented as he put his foot down on the gas.

"You make me feel like a hopeless romantic, sometimes," he replied with the same tone.

I chuckled. "That's because you are."

XxXxExLxXxX

I was more than a little bit weary when Edward glanced at his watch and suddenly panicked. We'd gone back to the pub where we first met – granted, it was also the place where I'd almost been kidnapped and sexually assaulted by the barman. My memories were both fond and bitter; but as Edward twirled me on the dance floor, wearing nothing other than his exceptionally sexy smirk on his face, I couldn't help but loosen up as we both laughed and danced together.

"Where are we going?" I asked as Edward hurriedly stomped down on the gas.

"It's a surprise," Edward replied.

"Everything's a surprise," I grumbled, but I couldn't help but smile. He was so stubborn, yet he'd obviously spent time planning the night.

After about five minutes, Edward performed a sharp U-turn, the tyres squealing as we slid into a parking lot.

I opened my eyes – which I'd instinctively closed as we spun around wildly – and looked up to see exactly where we were.

I couldn't help it; I laughed.

The bright yellow M gleamed at me through the darkness. I recognised the place, the deserted parking lot and the lack of people inside the building. A huge grin formed on my face and I hugged Edward tightly; so tightly that for a moment, he stopped breathing.

"Leah, honey, that hurts," Edward said.

"I don't care," I said, still beaming. "Thank you."

He smiled. "It's quite alright."  
>It was the very McDonalds that he'd taken me to when we first met… we'd played twenty questions, and I'd bought him a cell phone just after we'd eaten. I pressed my lips against Edward's fleetingly, smiling hugely at him as I squeezed the life out of him.<p>

"Come on," Edward said.

He opened the car door for me once again. I decided not to tell him off; I didn't want to kill his buzz. He was practically glowing with excitement. I realised that I probably was, too.

It would have looked silly to anybody else. I knew that – to anyone else – going to McDonalds for an anniversary meal wasn't romantic in the slightest. It'd be considered tacky, the cheap option rather than some fancy restaurant with knifes and forks, etc.

But I loved it. Because Edward knew that I loved the chips, it had been the place where we'd first gone together… we'd been back several times. It was always deserted; I had a shrewd suspicion that Edward was keeping this place going just for my benefit. There was another one in Forks on the main street that was always much busier.

We entered the restaurant, and there was a table waiting for us.

"Shit Edward," I couldn't help the cursing. There was all the food I could imagine from McDonalds laid out on the table. I glared at him briefly. "You made me look like a fatty."

"Sorry," he replied sheepishly. "I wasn't sure what you'd want."

"You could've asked me," I commented.

"But that would've ruined the surprise."

We both grinned.

We sat down, and just talked. We argued about bands, he discussed my violin – which was going very well. Edward was a great teacher when he wasn't kissing me – and a piece that he'd written for violin with me in mind. I admit, I blushed when he said that. It was a bit stupid, but Edward playing the violin with his eyes closed, lost in the music, was the sexiest thing I'd ever seen.

"Dessert?" Edward asked as soon as I'd finished the food.

"Chill Edward, let it go down," I said, smirking at him.

He grinned in turn. "My apologies, Mrs – Clearwater," he seemed to choke around my last name.

I looked at him curiously.

"I'll go and see what there is," he said, disappearing from the table suddenly.

I was left on my own to consider deserts. After weighing the pros and cons of every McFlurry and desert available, I decided.

_Smartie McFlurry, _I thought, knowing Edward would hear.

A couple of minutes later, he returned.

"Here you go," he said calmly.

I took the desert from him with a suspicious look in my eye; he seemed edgy. None the less, I started eating the ice cream quickly.

"Did you sprinkle fairy dust in this?" I asked as I practically inhaled the stuff.

Edward laughed. "Ask Alice."

His phone rang almost instantly; Alice's name showed on the screen. Edward cursed and put the phone on silent, slipping it back into his pocket.

Once I'd finished, I was stuffed. It was slightly embarrassing, being the only one needing to eat. Edward just sat there, pristine and calm. I bet it looked gross to him, watching me eat.

Our talking lulled; we just sat quietly, holding hands under the table and playing eye spy. It was relaxing.

"I've got something to show you," Edward said suddenly, interrupting the silence.

My eyebrows rose as he put his hand into his pocket. He pulled out a small black box; it was velvet, I could tell. It also looked to be expensive, yet old.

An anniversary gift, perhaps? Edward seemed like the type; he'd probably gotten diamond ear rings or something ridiculously expensive like that.

I took the box when he pushed it towards me, and slowly flicked the catch, opening the lid.

My breath caught as I stared at the single item occupying the box.

It was a simple ring, yet elegant. The band was thin, silver. In the centre of the band there was a single diamond; it was large, with two smaller diamonds either side.

And engraved into the inside of the ring, so small that no human would be able to see it, was a single sentence.

_You're What Makes Me Human _

I looked up with tears in my eyes, but found Edward was no longer seated opposite me.

He was knelt down in front of me, on one knee, with a huge grin on his face. He didn't look nervous now, as he had done before; of course he would be edgy, he was going to fucking propose.

"You already know what I'm going to say," he began. "But I'm going to say it anyway."

A single tear spilled over.

"You are the most intelligent, blunt, hot tempered,_ amazingly_ _beautiful _woman that I've ever met. And that will not change. I've wandered this earth for one hundred years, and nobody has ever interested me in the way that you do. You fixed me when I thought I'd broken, you made the sun seem so much brighter. You make every single day on this earth seem amazing, interesting and fun. I have no idea what I'd do if you ever left," Edward said, pouring out his heart.

"I don't know what I'd do if you broke up with me. I couldn't manage if you suddenly weren't there one day. And that's exactly why I'm asking you this, Leah," his voice turned into a whisper when he said my name.

"I want to wake you up with pancakes every single morning. I want to smell your morning breath from across the house as you slowly come to. I want to spend the rest of my long existence by your side. Nobody else other than you will ever be it for me."

I choked on a happy sob. I didn't even think that was possible.

"So, Leah Clearwater," he looked up at me with a breathtaking smile on his face. "Would you give me the honour of being able to call you Mrs. Leah Cullen? Will you marry me?"

I grinned hugely.

"YES!" I screamed, launching myself from the table and momentarily forgetting the ring box in my hands as I threw my arms around his neck. I kissed him passionately, more so than ever before. My lips crushed against his and my tongue trailed across his lips as I hungrily dove into the kiss. When I pulled away, I dabbed at the tears still forming in the corners of my eyes.

"I only have one thing to say," I managed once I'd dried the tears of happiness.

Edward quirked an eyebrow; he was beaming. His golden eyes showed nothing other than pure, raw emotion. He looked so happy; it filled me with the same joy. Our happiness amplified each other's.

"Mrs. Leah Masen," I corrected the last name.

I didn't think his smile could get any wider, but it did.

XxXxExLxXxX

**A.N: N'aww, I loved that. Leah actually wrote herself for the past couple of chapters, I only had a bit of a problem getting the dessert part to flow at first. Still, I hope it reads okay for you… I've never been proposed to before (haha, it's not even legal at my age) but I hope I did this justice. **

**Next chapter should be up soon! **

**Hey, guess what I found out! So, I was looking at stats and stuff, and I saw that… **

**79 people alerted this story! Like yayaz! So, thank you guys. **

**PEACE! **

**~ Soap Sudz **


	45. Never Make The Same Mistake Twice

**A.N: **

**Me: RAWR! I is vampire cat. **

**Edward: Urm...**

**Emmett: KITTY! CAN WE KEEP IT! **

**Me: I HAS A NAME! *Claws wildly at Emmett's face* **

**Emmett: *A kind of 'AIRGHHHHH!* sound. **

**Me: That what you get. **

**Lesson we have learned: Toothpast makes me bonkers. **

**Hi! So I know it wasn't a disclaimer, but I had no idea how vampire cats fitted into a disclaimer. Oh wells. **

**So this chapter is not my best work. At all. Like. So im sorry about that, but it just wasn't working for me. **

**Anyway rather than putting you down with my sob stories about this chapter go ahead and read. **

Chapter 45 - Never Make The Same Mistake Twice

I stared up at the house with fear in my eyes. It was ridiculous, I knew that much. I knew that my mother would never hurt me, but for some reason the idea of her reacting badly and disapproving of my decisions scared me. She had no reason to react badly, though. No reason other than the fact that my fiancé was a vampire.

It had been a while since I'd seen my mother properly. We'd had a few moments when we saw one another when I was popping by to see Seth, but those moments were often awkward and tense. I knew I loved Edward enough to want to spend the rest of my life with him, but I was regretful that my relationship with my Mom had suffered because of this.

"I'm sorry," Edward said calmly from the driver's seat. We were both sat in his shiny silver Volvo looking nervously towards my old home. I knew that Mom was in; I could see her bashed up Volkswagen on the drive.

"Don't be," I replied quickly. I turned away from the house and smiled at him. "My mom and I weren't as close after Dad passed. She was at work a lot. She still takes extra shifts even now. We don't really need the extra money. I think the house just holds too many memories for her," I admitted tightly.

"I'm still sorry," Edward said with a small smile. It was false; it didn't reach his black eyes. He needed to hunt; I threw him a look. Edward didn't like hunting because he didn't like to leave me. For the first couple of months that we were together, Edward had hunted in Forks. Unfortunately, the animal defence people who whoever the heck they were, had noticed the population of elk lessening over the months and had made a stand about this, accusing hunters.

So Carlisle had told Edward that he needed to stop hunting in Forks alone and go further afield. We didn't need to attract more attention.

I snapped back to the present.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Edward asked me as I turned my attention back to the house. All I needed to do was open the door, and the decision would be made.

But for the moment, I was perfectly happy just sat in the passenger seat staring blankly at my old house.

"We can come back tomorrow. Or next week. Or even next month if that makes you feel better," Edward said, his voice rising in nervousness.

I rolled my eyes at Edward's overreaction. A small sigh escaped my lips and my hand wrapped around the door handle. Another heavy exhale came from Edward's direction. He knew that I had to do this now. If I left the news much longer Mom would be annoyed that I'd kept it from her.

"Come on," I said, my voice not betraying me as I pulled the handle and opened the door.

Edward was already stood at my side of the car as I stood up and slammed the door roughly. The sound was too loud; no noise carried down the street. Not even the usual sounds of rain and wind.

Nobody in La Push knew of the engagement. Not my Mom, not Seth or Jacob, Emily... Nobody knew that I was engaged to a vampire. I had a feeling that the reaction of the elders wouldn't be good. I guessed that I'd be banned from the reservation for treachery or that the elders would attempt to stop the wedding.

"We don't have to do this," Edward said again.

I ignored him, instead just grabbed his hand firmly and pulled him across the pavement into the drive of my house. We walked past Mom's car, past Seth's small convertible - courtesy of Edward, of course - and up the stairs leading into my house.

We stopped on the threshold. The giant golden door knocker had never seemed bigger to me, never seemed more daunting than it did at that moment.

_Suck it up, Leah_, I chided myself before inhaling deeply and knocking three times.

There was a loud bout of curses from the house and the sound of running footsteps. I heard Seth's happy go lucky whistling coming from somewhere before the door was wrenched open by my Mom.

She'd aged. I wasn't going to comment on that, but I could see lines of stress on her brow and the large grey bags beneath her eyes didn't help her case. Her hair - once dark brown, the same tone as my own - had lightened and a few light grey streaks ran through her hair. It was barely noticeable, yet incredibly noticeable to me.

"Leah!" Though Mom's voice sounded tired, it was still upbeat as she pulled me into a fierce hug. Had I been human, I would definitely have had bruises.

She pulled away after a moment, noticing Edward. He was stood behind my shoulder, looking slightly awkward. His expression cleared as he noticed Mom looking at him though, and he held out a hand as if expecting her to shake it.

She completely disregarded this gesture and instead hugged Edward in the same fashion as she'd hugged me.

Well, at least I knew she wasn't weary about him being a vampire. At first, she'd been worried about me. She'd thought that Edward was bad, just as all of the elders did. It had been drilled into their heads for a long time. Despite this, as our relationship progressed and Mom saw me and Edward around the house, doing housework or cooking with Seth, she'd relaxed and accepted Edward as part of the family.

"Hello Sue," Edward said pleasantly. "How are you today?"

"I'm fine, thank you Edward," Mom replied, pulling out of the hug and smiling at her soon-to-be son in law. "Sometimes I wonder why all boys can't be as polite as you are."

Edward chuckled. "I'm afraid that manners are rare nowadays and were compulsory in the 1900s."

Sue laughed along with him, before smiling and gesturing for us to follow her. We entered the kitchen to see Seth busying himself over a 'Make Your Own Ice cream' kit. He was holding up a packet of white powder, examining it with a confused expression on his face.

"Add the water first, Seth," Edward told him calmly.

Seth's expression cleared instantly; he blushed. "Oh yeah," he said vaguely. "Thanks man."

"No problem Seth," Edward replied, before sliding into a seat at the kitchen counter. I followed him whilst Mom moved to the kettle, flicking the switch to turn it on.

"Tea?" she questioned, already putting two tea bags into a mug before I could answer.

"Sure," I replied, suddenly recalling why we were actually at my old house. I sucked in a deep breath and relaxed.

_Everything will be fine, Leah, _I told myself firmly. _Even if Mom doesn't accept Edward, it doesn't matter. We love each other; that's the only thing that matters. _

"Sue?" Edward asked, bringing me from my temporary reverie. His voice was steady, his eyes were locked onto my Mom. His back was straight; he wasn't scared of my Mother's reaction either.

"Yes, Edward?" Mom replied, picking up the kettle and pouring the scalding liquid into three mugs; one for me, one for her and one for Seth.

Oh, I just wanted to tell you that were getting married. Nothing big.

I clenched my teeth, ground them together. _Way to keep it together, Leah, _I reprimanded myself.

"Leah and I have some wonderful news to tell you," Edward said. Of course, he would use some over the top phrase to describe it. Though, I had to admit that the idea of getting married together, even in my own hard to please mind, was wonderful.

However, Mom seemed to know exactly what was going on as soon as Edward said the words. Her cheeks sucked in dramatically, her whole face drained of colour and her eyes became slits. It wasn't her 'angry face' it was her 'surprised' face.

"Wonderful news?" she questioned, looking at me suspiciously.

"Yeah," I said, hoping that my exterior appeared calmer than I actually felt. I wasn't _scared _of my Mom's reaction. I just hoped that she accepted Edward as my husband to be. I didn't want to fall out with her over this.

Edward looked at me. I sighed; it was my responsibility.

As if he'd felt my anxiety, he fluidly moved closer to me and wrapped his hand around my own. The cool temperature effectively relaxed me; I felt my hands drop limply to my side as I exhaled in a deep, calming breath. Edward shot me a small smile.

My resolve strengthened. I was going to have him whether Mom liked it or not.

"We're getting married," I said, my tone unexpectedly blasé.

A long silence followed my words. It was too long. I twitched nervously; Edward rubbed soothing circles into the back of my hand.

"Sam won't like it," she said, breaking the silence.

"Fuck him," I replied before I could stop myself. She glared at me.

"Language."

"Sorry."

"The elders could forbid it," she commented.

"I don't care. I'll do it anyway."

"You really love him," she spoke about Edward as if he wasn't even there.

I smirked, realizing that Mom wasn't going to react badly. If she was, she would have done by that point.

"Mom," I said firmly. "You've known Edward for ages. You've known me since I was born," I smiled. "We never make the same mistake twice."

XxXxXxXxX

"Your Mom reacted well," Edward commented as we pulled onto the Cullen drive. Though it looked relaxed, tranquil from the outside, within the house I knew that six frenzied vampires were running around planning my wedding. No. Our wedding.

"I know," I agreed lightly. "I was expecting a much worse reaction. Though, I've got a feeling that we'll get that at some point this evening when the phone rings."

Mom had warned me that she had to tell Sam about the latest 'development' And so I should expect an angry werewolf to ring the Cullen house at some point during the evening.

I followed Edward into the house. He seemed happy; there was a fresh spring in his step as he walked, a happy glint in his eyes. When I'd asked him why he was 'glinting' at me, he'd merely said:

"I'm getting married to the woman of my dreams. What isn't there to be happy about?"

I had to admit, his words had made me blush and smile. Edward's over complimenting words often had that affect on me. He made me feel like a small, obsessive teenager when in reality I was a twenty one year old woman.

I felt kind of old when I thought of my age; only compared to Edward, though. Knowing that he would be seventeen forever would have that kind of affect on a self conscious woman.

"You aren't old," Edward called, not even turning his head as he all but skipped into the house. He left the door open, assuming that I'd follow him inside.

Instead, just to piss him off, I moved towards the garage. I pulled my house keys from my pocket and pressed a button on the large black key. Almost instantly, the garage doors slid up to reveal the Cullen's extensive collection of cars.

Even after living with the over the top vampires for such a long time, the amount of cars that they had still shocked me. Most of the cars were hidden under white sheets. I could see rare Ferrari California GTO at the back of the garage, hidden in the corner. I almost smiled; of course the old thing belonged to Edward. I'd only driven it once. Though he loved me, and when I asked he'd said yes instantly, I could see he was uncomfortable. He was a vampire with super fast reflexes. I was a werewolf with not quite as fast reflexes.

I moved past the cars, my mind recalling what models certain cars were. I passed the Aston Martin DB12 that Edward had loved so much when we first met, and a small smile formed on my face. I could recall a make out session in the back seat which had almost led to us...

I snapped out of it before I could become engrossed in memories. Taking a trip into the garage was often like that. It was a slap in the face, bringing back memories that I'd buried or almost forgotten.

Finally, I reached the back of the garage. There was a door that was just about wide enough to fit a Mini Cooper through; though that was at a push. I pressed another button on my keys and the doors slid open. It wasn't a door, more like two metal shutters.

I entered the room and a beaming smile fell into place on my face as I looked around.

I'd labeled it 'Our Room'. It was tacky and cheesy, but I just thought that a tacky and cheesy name suited us down to the ground. The room was large, wide. It was a perfect square. In the room, there were several things.

My Ducati. Though it wasn't considered 'old', as our relationship had progressed the bike had become more and more important to me. I was worried about somebody stealing it, worried about crashing and the bike breaking. I was worried about numerous things. So Edward came up with the idea of Our Room.

It contained items that were from different points in our relationship. My Ducati, the iPhone that Edward had bought me when we'd barely met. From later on, the small antique golden pocket watch that I'd bought Edward for our first Christmas a couple. There was another small box containing a telescope. It was a birthday present from me to Edward - he'd adamantly refused to tell me the date of his birthday for several months, but eventually I'd gotten it out of him.

And so, Alice and I had made a big fuss. Even though I was his girlfriend first, I was also his girl best friend. It was all but my duty to make sure he was pissed off on his birthday.

There was a scrap book on the small oak coffee table that was in the corner. The coffee table was from his room; we used to make out on it when we first started going out. We'd acted like mammals that had just mated or something with the way that we made out for the first few months of our relationship.

The scrapbook contained pictures of Edward's birthday. I moved over to it, opened it.

The first picture caused me to laugh out loud. It was a picture of the cake, mine and Alice's creation. The thing was made from an actual cake, a Victoria Sponge, but it was decorated with butter cream and blood. I'd done the actual three layer cake and added the butter cream, whilst Alice had decorated it with blood. The red blood ran around the edges of eat cake in intricate patterns. On the very top cake, Alice had gone home and written across it:

Happy One Hundred and Tenth Dracula!

And she'd put a smiley face underneath.

Underneath, there was a picture of Edward's reaction. There was a deep frown on his face, a crease between his golden eyes. He'd stared down at the cake with contempt before realizing that I was holding a camera. Then, he'd chased me around the house whilst I laughed hysterically. Alice had saved the photo.

I turned the page.

On the next page, there was the sweetest photo of us. It had also been on Edward's birthday, at twilight. We'd escaped as Emmett brought out the shot glasses, claiming that Edward needed to be introduced to alcohol. I wasn't entirely sure how his mind worked, even to that day.

Edward had gently swung me around as I pulled him towards the forest. I'd been stunned as I realized that I was close to the ground but supported by his cold arms. As he'd held me like that, he'd pressed his lips against mine in the tenderest kiss we'd shared.

And Alice had snapped a picture of us.

Of course, the demonic pixie was responsible.

"I think it's sweet, too," a voice commented from behind me.

I couldn't help it; I jumped and went into Leah attack mode.

My left arm swung straight up and pinned the person to the wall by their throat. My other arm roughly grabbed their hands and held them together firmly, using my werewolf strength to the best of my ability.

As I stared into Edward's dark black eyes, guilt filled me - as did shock.

I released him instantly, noticing the shocked look in his eyes.

"Oh god!" I exclaimed. "I'm so sorry! Are you okay? Oh god Edward, I didn't even hear you! You should make more noise when you appear like that! I didn't even realize that -"

I was cut off as Edward's lips roughly smashed into my own. I could tell that I'd have bruising, but I couldn't care less as I responded passionately, enjoying the feel of his cool temperature against my burning skin and enjoying his exquisite taste all the more. Just as I was ready to forget our boundaries and push him up against the wall, Edward pulled away.

"Tease," I grumbled.

"I remember a long time ago, my friend told me off when I said that. She claimed that only girls said it," he waggled his eyebrows at me, a smirk growing on his face as he spoke.

"Smart ass. Stupid memory," I grumbled.

Edward moved to look at the album. I moved and stood next to him. He turned the page and smirked, looking down at a picture of me. It was my twenty first, and I was dressed in a deep purple dress, just for a change from red. Alice had apparently seen my annoyance at wearing so many red dresses.

"You look incredibly sexy there," Edward told me, as if he was commenting on the weather. "I mean, you normally look sexy. But you look breathtakingly sexy there."

He waggled his eyebrows at me suggestively. I grinned at his words; when Edward said 'sexy' it made him seem even sexier than he was normally.

So I listened to my teenaged girl side and grabbed him by the collar of the shirt before pulling his face closer to mine, and pressing my lips against his.

XxXxXxXxX

We spent a few hours in the garage, enjoying our privacy. The room was the only place that Esme and Alice hadn't designed. No other member of the Cullen family had ever seen our room. It was our safe haven.

Esme had made me dinner that night. The Cullens were all seated in the lounge. Alice was pouring over her laptop, looking at wedding flowers and occasionally asking my opinion on things. Rosalie was cuddling with Emmett, her eyes glued on the TV as she watched a horror film about vampires. Apparently Rose liked horror films.

Jasper was looking over a Bike magazine. It was the one thing that we really bonded over. I was sat on the couch next to him, occasionally commenting on some of the bikes. Edward was at my feet, reading away at one of his novels.

"I'm tired," I commented after about twenty minutes of comfortable silence. I liked the atmosphere; from what I had gathered, when Bitch-Ella was with Edward their lives had been nothing but chaotic. I liked the fact that we got to experience day to day excitement whilst still maintaining a tranquil atmosphere during the evenings.

"Turning in?" Jasper asked me, turning the page of his magazine but looking up curiously.

"Yeah," I replied. "Night Jazz."

I quickly gave him a hug, and he kissed my cheek. I waved at Rosalie. Though we were good friends by this point, I knew she wasn't really comfortable with hugs from anybody other than Emmett and her long term family. I'd only been part of the Cullens for a year or so. The others had been there for decades.

I hugged Alice - who planted two enthusiastic kisses on my cheeks - before going over to Emmett and grabbing his head, giving him a noogie before blowing a kiss as I darted out of the room.

I changed quickly, showering and washing my hair. I threw my wet hair up into a ponytail before darting out of the En Suite in my grey satin pyjamas.

Edward was already in the room. He was seated on the edge of the large golden bed, reading his book. His legs were folded underneath him; he was fully immersed in the book.

"Found something interesting?" I asked curiously, sitting next to him.

He looked up, attention instantly diverted. "I have now," he said with a small smirk.

"Don't be so cheesy," I said lightly.

Edward smirked.

I got into the bed after a moment, pulling the golden blanket up to my chin and snuggling underneath it.

"Can I join you?" Edward's voice echoed through the darkness. He was close; I could see his silhouette in the dim light.

We had never shared a bed. Actually, we had once when I was ill. I was too warm, unable to cool down until Edward had climbed into the bed beside and gently wrapped his colds arms around me.

But now that we were about to get married? I felt my frame tense at one thought. I didn't even mind sharing a bed with Edward. In fact, I thought that sharing a bed with Edward would be incredibly amazing. But I was worried about one thing.

Fucking morning breath.

I was still torn as I saw Edward move away from the bed.

"Don't worry," he said. "It doesn't matter."

"Yes," I said, before I could really think it through.

"Sorry. I was just worried about morning breath."

It sounded so idiotic when I said that.

Edward smirked. "Don't worry. If it's really bad I'll move away,"

I grinned in turn and moved over slightly to allow Edward access to the bed. He climbed in quickly, laying down on his back and putting his arms above his head. As a reflex reaction, I moved to put my head on his chest. The cool temperature of his body seeped through the thin fabric of his shirt and I sighed before I could stop myself.

"Night," I murmured, before closing my eyes and enjoying the silent coldness that was Edward.

XXXXXXXX

A.N YAA! I know it wasn't best but I thought Eddie was a cutie pie.

OOOHH! I HAVE A CHAPTER QUESTION!

Actually 2. I lied. :'(

1.) favourite part of the story so far!

2.) what would you like to see?

3.) So there are roughly 5 chaps left. Sequel anybody?

REVIEW= ANSWERS TO MY QUESTIONS = THINGS THAT YOU WANT IN STORY.

You like my logic? :D


	46. Wedding Shopping

**A.N: This chapter would be one of my favourites, but... Well, brownie points to anyone who can guess why!**

**We got 5 reviews for the last chapter... 6 including the pm from brankel :) I was a bit upset and confused because I know last chapter wasn't the greatest but I didn't think that it was that bad... **

**But apparently yous had trouble reviewing because I screwed up the system. I found out that something in this story wasn't allowed so I freaked and deleted my illegal ANs. And in doing so it means you guys can't review if you're logged in. So damn for me. **

**Please review ANONYMOUSLY!**

Chapter 45 – Wedding Shopping

"Alice, please control yourself," I hissed, knowing that my voice was unnecessarily harsh. I couldn't help it though; I'd gotten little to no sleep for the past three days, I felt like crap and I was regretting allowing Alice to help me plan my wedding. I should have realized that the little hyperactive pixie would go overboard.

Alice was gesturing plaintively at the screen of her MacBook Pro. She'd stolen it from Emmett earlier in the day, only just managing to close the metal shutters protecting her room before Emmett had realized that his beloved MacBook had disappeared.

The picture on the screen caused my nose to wrinkle up in distaste and my eyes to roll instinctively. The dress that Alice had picked out for me was over the top. It was expected; I knew Alice didn't do anything that wasn't over the top. Still, despite this, I had hoped that she'd take my own opinions into account before she started looking at dresses.

It was white, poofy. In fact, it was more than just poofy. It was the widest wedding dress that I'd ever seen, probably widening my frame by half a meter. Sparkly bits – flowers and such – were stuck all over the dress in odd places. It looked as if a small child had gone overboard with glitter. As well as all the sparkles, there was a long train that would trail on the floor for _eight meters _if I chose it.

I mean, the dress could easily have been nice to some people, but I personally thought it looked ridiculous. I mean, I wasn't a princess. I was shuddering at the mere idea of wearing such a ridiculously large dress for my wedding.

I wanted something simple, elegant. I wanted a tight fitting bodice made from satin that would gently flow down my body and a small train that wouldn't last more than a few meters. I wanted something that wouldn't look like I'd tried to buy the largest dress possible. I wanted something that would make Edward think it was my own choice entirely.

"I don't understand what you want," Alice said finally, throwing me a level glare. I knew she wasn't really angry with me, just confused as to what my opinions were. I rolled my eyes, sighed heavily before repeating my thoughts on my wedding dress to her.

She chewed her lip for a couple of moments, a faraway look in her eyes. I could see her contemplating, imagined the images of dresses that would flash before her eyes. Alice's ability to see the future fascinated me; I'd begun quizzing her on what she saw, what perspective she saw the visions from. Was it an out of body experience, or was she in her own body? There was so much to consider.

Focus, Leah.

"You know," Alice said after a long silence. "I had a vision of you a long time ago. And your wedding dress… you wanted a massive thing. Something almost identical to that," she gestured back to the hideous item of clothing. "So I picked a dress matching that specification. I didn't think that your views would have changed."

"I've never been one for over the top things, Ali. I like to treat myself sometimes, granted. I don't enjoy wearing things as obnoxious as that," I glared at the dress on the screen as if it had hurt me.

"I should have realized that," Alice replied sheepishly. "Sorry Leah. I should've asked rather than just relying on my visions."

"Chill Ali," I smirked at her, leaning back in my chair. "I think I already know which dress I want, anyway."

"Really?" she responded, her eyes lighting up as if it was Christmas morning.

I paused briefly, just to rile her up.

"Leah!" she whined immediately, tugging on my arm and bringing up Google on the screen. "Show me it."

"There isn't a website for the shop," I told her. "I've already looked."

"Fine, well, tell me anyway," Alice said firmly, folding her arms over her chest and giving me a kind of 'the pixie will bite you' look.

"Okay… don't freak… it's from Forks."

Her reaction was exactly what I'd anticipated. Her eyes bugged out of her head, and she just gaped at me with wide eyes for a few long moments before gulping heavily and swallowing hard. I heard her teeth grind together in her irritation, and bit back a smile.

"Forks?" she spat the name as if it was a disease.

"Forks," I replied firmly. I'd seen the dress; I'd fallen in love with the dress. It reminded me of the wedding dress that my Mom wore when she was getting married to my Dad. It was such a time ago, yet I could remember the day when Mom had pulled the thing from her wardrobe and showed me it. I was just a kid; I thought it was the most wonderful thing I'd ever seen.

Nobody other than the Cullen family knew of my engagement. Paul seemed to suspect that there was something different about my relationship with Edward, but he didn't comment. That was surprising; when Edward and I had first got together, he'd effectively pissed me off with just five words.

_Edward grinned at me smugly, eyes twinkling as he did so. I looked at him with narrowed eyes, wondering what his plan was. Whenever that twinkle appeared in his eyes, he was either doing or planning to do something that would make him look like a seventeen year old boy._

_A second later, I found out what he was going to do as he suddenly wrenched the steering wheel around. The Aston Martin squealed in protest, smoke rising from the tires as they chafed against the tarmac. The car turned wildly and glided into a space, not an inch over the lines._

_I rolled my eyes at Edward – who was smirking at me._

"_What time are you coming back tonight?" he asked me as my hand touched the door handle._

"_I'm not sure," I replied. "I'll ask Paul when my shift ends. I'll text you," I gestured to my pocket, where the iPhone he'd bought for me rested._

"_Okay," he replied. There was a pause._

"_Aren't you going to do the really cute goodbye kiss that you normally do?" I asked as the silence became slightly awkward._

_He smirked, muscles relaxed. "Paul's looking."_

_I scoffed. Edward was too edgy on La Push territory; though I could understand why. He'd only been allowed access to the res on Saturday, when we'd approached the La Push elders and told them of our relationship. While they weren't very impressed, Sue was a member of the Elders and she was incredibly happy. She put the idea in their heads of 'this could mean that wolves and vampires can work together. Think of what we can achieve,' and so, while the Elders were unhappy, they accepted it._

"_Let him look," I said, snapping out of my reverie and crashing my lips into Edward's._

_The spark ignited the fire, and our passion grew dramatically as Edward's hands tangled in my hair. I let out a moan and tilted my head so that my nose brushed against his as I moved. Edward leaned into the kiss further, moaning quietly. I could feel his chest rumbling slightly; it was Edward's equivalent of purring._

_I pulled away suddenly and winked at him._

"_Later, bloodsucker," I said, before slipping out of the car and slamming the door. I pulled my bag up onto my shoulder before dashing across the lot to the building. I wrenched open the door and entered, before turning to wave at Edward. The taillights flashed once before he gunned the engine. I watched the car speed from the lot and disappear._

_I turned around slowly, feeling Paul's eyes on my back._

_I silently dared him to comment._

_And he did._

"_So," he said, as if weighing the words before he said them. "You're shagging the leech?"_

I ground my teeth, coming from my reverie before noticing that Alice was tugging on my arm impatiently.

"Forks," she commented, once she was sure that she had my attention. "You could have a dress from anywhere in the world, and you chose Forks."

I merely raised my eyebrows at her.

She huffed, sighed heavily.

"Which Wedding Shop?"

XxXxXxXxX

"I love it!"

Alice was stood in front of me, admiring. I was wearing the wedding dress of my dreams, the white garment that I'd seen in the shop window in Forks such a time ago, when I was looking for jobs before Paul employed me. It seemed like such a time ago; but I could remember the patchy wedding shop with a dingy atmosphere and an unfair pay check.

I refocused on the task at hand. The wedding dress that I wore was simple, yet elegant. It was the opposite of the large, poofy wedding dress that Alice had picked out for me. And, best of all, despite the fact that I was a female werewolf with bulging muscles in my arms, the dress made me look quite feminine.

It had a tight fitting bodice, with patterns going along the bust. It was white in tone, slightly cream. Ivory, perhaps. Just above my hip, the dress widened and fell down my body to the ground in a waterfall style. There was a small train that would linger behind me as I walked.

Alice had already picked out the most expensive shoes in the shop. They were satin, ballet shoes; their ivory tone matched the dress. I was glad she'd picked out flats; heels always made me feel ridiculously tall, despite the fact that even wearing heels, Edward was a few inches taller than me.

"Told you," I responded to Alice's previous exclamation. A smug smile formed on my face as she looked at me; in turn, she stuck her tongue out and turned away.

"You were right, I was wrong," she muttered. I could easily picture the disgruntled expression that would undoubtedly be present on her face.

Just to toy with her, I decided to push the matter.

"I'm sorry?" I asked, as if I hadn't heard her. She turned around at top speed and shot me a terrifying death glare.

"How much?" Alice demanded of the shop assistant who was sat on a chair a little way away from us. She looked bored, dark brown hair and grey eyes. She'd been voicing her opinions on dresses every so often; only complimenting the expensive ones. I knew why, of course. She'd gotten the badly paid job that I applied for.

As the shop assistant was looking at the dress, trying to determine what the price was – many wedding dresses in the shop looked the same – Alice pulled out her purse. It was chic, designer. She unzipped the purse and pulled out a wad of hundred dollar bills.

The shop assistant's eyes widened as she took in the large amount of cash that the seemingly seventeen year old girl was holding.

"One thousand five hundred dollars," she said, eyes still wide with shock. "Honey, you look gorgeous, you should go for it."

_Don't call me honey, you don't know me, _I thought, briefly angry. _I don't need your opinion on my wedding dress – you only think that I look 'gorgeous' because this is the most expensive dress in the whole damn store._

My phone, which was in my bag, beeped. I moved across the room, past Alice, to open the bag and pull it out.

There was an unread text.

_Sender: Edward_

_Message: Darling, you always look gorgeous. I like that one. X_

I smiled, a little surprised that Edward could get his 'mind reading connection' from such a way away, but he'd said we were very closely interlinked. He preferred to say that rather than telling me that I had a noisy head.

_You always say that though. I want to look ravishing, _I thought, knowing he'd be waiting for a response.

My phone vibrated almost immediately.

_Sender: Edward_

_Message: Just being honest. And don't worry, you will. X_

I smiled.

XxXxXxXxX

Once Alice had bought the dress, we left the shop and got into her Porsche Boxster Spyder. She hadn't changed it yet, even though it was slightly outdated; the Boxster Spyder SX had been released a couple of months before. Rosalie had bought one and literally took it to pieces. Then, she rebuilt it with the engine of an Aston Martin. It was a fucking amazing car.

We had several other things on the agenda for the day. Now that we had the dress sorted, we needed to get the flowers; discuss arrangements and whatnot with a professional, as well as the cake. I knew that the cake was a big thing; Alice had been freaking out about cakes.

As we drove into Seattle, Alice took a detour and flew down the drive thru at the McDonalds there. She ordered a bunch of fries for me; I wanted something salty.

As I munched on the chips, Alice put the car into the _ninth gear_ that Rose had installed a couple of months before. Then, she put her foot down and the car lurched forwards at a shocking speed, causing me to begin choking on my fries.

Instantly, the car slowed while I could feel heat flooding into my cheeks as I continued choking.

_Fucking vampires and their obsession over speed, _I thought angrily as I continued hacking up the chip.

When the choking finally stopped and I spat the mangled chip back into the brown paper bag, Alice looked incredibly guilty. Her golden eyes were wide with regret, her bottom lip jutting out in an unintentional pout.

"I'm so sorry Leah!" she began.

"Ali it's fine," I cut her off.

"I didn't even think, I am so sorry…"

"…It's fine Alice…"

"I mean, you're normally fine with moving at that speed…"

"…Alice, I'm fine…"

"Edward is going to kill me!"

"ALICE!" I yelled. She blinked, looked up at me in shock. I lowered my voice. "I'm fine. Really. Look. I'm not dead, that's code for 'fine.'"

Alice smiled unsurely, before asking me _again _if I was okay or not. When I responded with the positive, she put her foot down and continued driving; though not as fast as she was before.

We eventually pulled up outside the flower shop.

It was gorgeous; or the exterior was. The color of the outside was pale yellow, dark cream. In black, cursive writing, the words 'Flowers For All' had been written. Through the arched windows of the little shop, I could see numerous bouquets of flowers.

"Come on!" Alice said, twisting the keys in the ignition and jumping from the car. The door slammed behind her as she ran around the and into the shop, ignoring the fact that I was lagging behind.

The shop assistant was pretty in a strange way. She had black hair, pulled up in a bun on the top of her head. Loose strands framed her face. Her eyes were bright, pale icy blue. I could tell that she wore no makeup; the beauty that she had was natural.

Alice was firing questions at the woman at top speed. They were talking flowers, discussing the color theme of the wedding – which was to be dark blue, a very soft pale blue, and a creamy white – and the color of my hair as well as my skin tone.

The 'flower woman' as I had dubbed her, looked at me with a calculating expression on her face, her eyes flickering as she examined me. She took my hand and lifted it, judging the size of my palm, I assumed, before letting it drop back to my side.

"I think wildflowers would suit her best," the woman said, her voice thick with a French accent. "I can easily get the perfect bouquet. You described her dress as ivory; this arrangement perfectly suits blue and ivory themes. Also, the flowers should compliment her dress and hair perfectly. I will just get a picture for you."

Before the woman moved away towards her desk – on which was a MacBook Pro – she smiled at me.

"Apologies," she said calmly. "I get easily caught up in my work. My name is Fleur. Nice to meet you, Leah."

I smiled. Fleur; a French name.

My phone vibrated.

For once, I ignored it and instead shook Fleur's hand, before she danced towards her MacBook – Alice following behind her – and the two began to animatedly discuss different arrangements in rapid French. Though I'd taken French for a couple of years in school, I couldn't keep up and instead decided to check my phone.

_Sender: Edward_

_Message: Fleur, she's an incredibly nice person with kind thoughts. She and Alice have been friends for several months; Alice loves getting luxurious flower arrangements for the house. I do believe that Fleur taught Alice everything that she knows about the meanings of flowers and such. Her name, coincidentally, means flower. Alice found that amusing. X_

_She would, _I thought back, a small smile forming on my face.

As the two rattled away animatedly in French, I moved towards the windows, examining the perfectly arranged bouquets and flinching when my gaze caught one of the price tags. I hastily moved from the window, suddenly feeling awkward, as if I was going to break something.

"_Merci beaucoup," _Alice called from behind me after a few minutes. I was stood by the front desk at this point, texting Edward casually every so often whilst trying to concentrate on the French that they were both speaking. As expected, I couldn't keep up; flowers wasn't one of the things that the teacher covered in La Push French lessons.

I understood Alice's last sentence though; _thank you very much. _Alice smiled friendlily at Fleur, who smiled in response, before she danced away from the front of the shop to stand beside me. Alice briefly sniffed a bouquet of sweet peas before refocusing and smiling again.

"Adios!" Alice called, before grabbing my hand and dragging me from the shop. I just managed to shout a goodbye before the shop door closed firmly behind us.

Before I could loudly vent about how rude it was to speak in flawless French when I couldn't understand a word, Alice had thrown open the door of her Porsche and literally thrown me inside. My butt hit the leather seat roughly, the air rushed out of my lungs.

I glared at her as the door was slammed, and she flew around the edge of the car to the driver's seat. Purely to piss her off, I pressed the lock button on the dashboard, effectively stopping her from opening the driver's door.

She threw me a withering look, the expression in her eyes slightly scary as she lifted the car keys slowly and unlocked the doors once again with a small 'click.'

It became a Vampire Vs. Werewolf fight. As she pressed 'unlock' I hastily relocated the doors on the dash. Alice seemed to humour me for a few moments before using her vampiric speed to unlock the door and open it at the same time. As I pressed lock again, my reactions not being fast enough, the car alarm began to whir loudly.

"Leah!" Alice exclaimed, a few curses leaving her mouth. The words sounded wrong in Alice's dainty voice. She rapidly used jabbed her finger against the car keys before the beeping stopped and the street was stilled.

"You shouldn't force me into cars, Ali," I told her with a smirk.

The glowering scowl on Alice's face made me close me mouth and turn my attention to the scenery outside.

XxXxXxXxX

The Cake Shop.

Well, no, it wasn't actually called The Cake Shop. Though, it might as well have been. The name of the shop was printed across the doorframe, as well as above the doorframe and on a sign beside it, but I still couldn't read it. From what I could gather, it wasn't an English name.

Alice ignored my examination and jumped from the car, once again flying ahead and racing into the shop. I heard the sound of an old fashioned bell ringing, signifying another customer's entry. It was a nice touch; when I was in high school, I'd worked in a post office that had a similar arrangement.

"Pierre!" Alice exclaimed. Were all of the people we'd seen French?

The man was obviously not French, however. He was slight, with short brown hair and surprisingly bright eyes. When he spoke, his accent wasn't even foreign; it was American.

"Alice!" he said calmly. "Wonderful to see you again. It's been too long," he said with a smile. He was chubby, I noticed, but not overly so. Just rounded, as you would expect a baker to be.

"It has," Alice said, smiling. She gets around a lot, I thought briefly.

"Hi, I'm Leah," I decided to make the effort.

"Pierre," he replied calmly. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

I smiled. "And you."

Pierre showed us several different cakes and also began animatedly speaking to Alice. They discussed colours, icing styles and what type of fondant would go best with the dress. They also discussed figurines to go on the top of the cake.

I grew curious at this point.

Alice described the figure that she wanted as me. Of course, it was a perfect replica of myself. She'd even gone into great detail describing the dress that I would be wearing, and told him that she'd drop by a picture later in the day.

Then, she moved onto Edward. She described bushy ginger hair, which made me laugh, with a 'pineapple' style at the front. When Pierre looked hesitant, she laughed and told him to be as wacky as he wanted. I nodded with her enthusiastically.  
>She also said that Edward's figure needed to have fangs. When Pierre gave her an odd look, she explained by simply saying 'it's an inside joke.'<br>One Alice had finally finished her specification, and Pierre had several pages of notes, she smiled at him and told him calmly 'white fondant, blue edges' before baying him good luck and once again dragging me from the shop.

As soon as the car was rolling along the streets of Seattle, I turned my eyes to Alice.

"I don't think he'll find the vampire reference funny," I told her. It was no secret that Edward hated his species, which in turn made me furious; but not just with him for thinking such a thing.

My Pack, my family in La Push really had no idea about what vampires had to go through. Edward already hated his species; he didn't need a bunch of angry, badly informed teenaged werewolves hating him too. One night, when Jasper was struggling with Edward's extreme emotions, I'd gone to sit with my 'almost brother' and calmly told him; "Don't worry Jazz, I can practically feel the self loathing coming from him too. But I don't know why he feels like that. He already knows that his family love him for who he is, not what he is. And so do I."

And then the two had embraced me in a group hug whilst Emmett sobbed mockingly and lamented about how his family was so nice in the background.

"Oh, he will. Don't worry Leah, I've got this all planned out."

I looked at Alice's evil expression, and decided not to ask as we turned back onto the road towards Forks.

A.N; review now?


	47. Unwanted Invitation

A.N: Okay, hi again!

Yes, this is a frequent update! I wa thrilled lol.

THIS IS IMPORTANT!

As most of you already know, I screwed up the system of this story by deleting two of my illegal authors notes. Some of you may not have gotten an alert for the past two chapters. If you haven't seen any weddings shopping, go back now and read the last two chapters. Sorry if this causes any confusion, but I think it's fixed now.

This chapter is mostly a filled with lots of foreshadowing. It's a filler, realLy.

Still, hope you enjoy it!

Please review; for the last two chapters I got 3 reviews and 5 reviews. I was. Bit upset :/ reviews would be inspiring

Also - my Lptop died again! As you can probably see, I'm struggling with the keypad on my iPad. I ordered a new keyboard from apple though, so I should be able to type up again soon. Until then, please enjoy this one!

Chapter 47 – Unwanted Invitation

"What. The. Fuck?"

It was ridiculous, absurd. I stared down at the wedding invitation blankly, feeling the muscles in my upper arms tensing as my fists clenched tightly. I imagined the expression on my face, the stony frown and coldness present in my eyes. It was rare that I cussed – Leah tended to indulge in such things more often than I – but I couldn't help myself as I stared at the invite.

My… foolishly hopeful sister whirled into the room. The air hit my cheek, but it wasn't cold. Rather, it was my temperature; average. It had no affect on me, didn't raise goose bumps on my skin as it should have, nor did it cause an instinctive shudder to travel down my spine.

"Edward," Alice said, her voice pleading. She wore a pale grey sweater with a scoop neck, a small amethyst pendant around her neck. It was a real amethyst, of course; it had been a birthday present from Leah. Though we rarely celebrated human birthdays, Leah had encouraged it and searched valiantly for our birthdays; including my own.

Though thinking of Leah softened my thoughts and tended to change my view on things, this time it had not. I knew perfectly well that Leah's reaction would be the same as my own, if not worse.

"Please," Alice continued, pulling out a pleading expression and making her golden eyes wide.

But Leah had taught me well.

"Alice, this is not my decision. Samuel and Emily Uley are not my friends nor are they family. I'm perfectly sure that Leah does not consider them friends or family either," I said calmly, though I was raging inside.

Alice sighed heavily.

"It's unlikely that Leah will want them there," Alice agreed.

"So why do you want them to be?" I asked, more curious than angry; though I could feel myself becoming frustrated on Leah's behalf.

"I had a vision," Alice said.

I arched my eyebrows; a silent command for her to elaborate. She sighed heavily but nodded her head, and instantly images played out in my mind.

_Leah was embracing her cousin tightly, her arms and bouquet thrown around her neck. I could see tears of happiness trickling down her cheeks, a beaming smile plastered onto her face. Emily's face mirrored Leah's; they both looked beyond ecstatic._

From the vision, I could see that both women were glad that an old relationship had been rekindled. I found myself hoping that the vision would come true; but only slightly. I wouldn't upset Leah for the sake of this.

"I'll speak to her," I said calmly.

"But –" Alice protested.

"No, Alice. She is my fiancée, I'll talk to her."

"Talk to me about what?"

Her voice rang out from behind me, steady and sharp as always. I whirled around at vampire speed, my eyes instantly locking onto her tall yet delicate figure.

Her curves hit me at full blast. I knew that recently she had taken to indulging Alice in her Leah Barbie games, but I had not expected this.

She wore a cream stretch cotton T-shirt, with long sleeves. It fell down past her hips and covered her bottom. She wore a pair of black leggings too, with black converse. The white T-shirt contrasted oddly with her skin tone, and the entire outfit brought out her curves and accented her beauty.

Her hair was of equal beauty. Alice had pulled it up into a sleek ebony bun, with a few well placed strands falling from the bun and framing her face. I could see her gorgeous red lips standing out against her skin, and her eyelashes were particularly long, brushing against her cheeks as she blinked.

Her eyes gleamed at me, showing all of her emotions. She was stunning, exquisite. There was nothing else like her in the world.

"Did I just get checked out by Edward Cullen?" I heard her ask Alice, which snapped me back to reality.

I moved forwards towards her, wrapping my arms around her waist and enjoying the feel of her in my arms. I wasn't going to share that though; my brothers would never allow me to live it down.

"You look stunning," I told her, knowing that – despite the fact that my words could never aptly describe her – she would feel the compliment.

I was correct; I could smell the blood rushing to her cheeks, though a blush wasn't present on her skin. Her eyes moved downwards towards the ground; her usual reaction to a compliment. Despite the fact that we had been a couple for such a time, she was still scarred by Samuel Uley's pathetic attempts at being a good person. He had considered it denying fate; I considered it a sin, scarring a creature such as Leah.

"I think somebody's trying to butter me up," she replied with a smirk. "You wanted to talk to me about something?"

Oh yes. My mind immediately flickered back to the invitation, already written, on the table.

"Yes," I replied. "Alice wrote an invitation," I decided it was better to just tell her.

She nodded. "And? Who for?"

The words seemed to catch in my throat. I briefly considered lying and telling her that it was for someone else.

"Edward? Don't keep this from me," Leah knew me so well. Her eyes were fierce, sparkling. She was practically daring me to deny her; I wondered briefly if her reaction to my refusal would be entertaining.

"It's for Samuel and Emily," I blurted out, and despite the fact that my words had come out in a rush, I sounded cool and calm on the outside.

Leah wasn't focused on that. Her eyes suddenly seemed far away, glistened with tears. I instantly felt my heart clench and shatter for her as I saw her pain, and I managed to refrain from wrapping my arms around her and hugging her.

"No," she said quietly, and then she turned tail and left.

I turned to Alice with fury blazing in my eyes.

"I knew that she wouldn't react well, Alice. You've hurt her," I said stiffly, before rushing from the room, my nose fixated solely on Leah's delectable bitter sweet scent.

XxXxXxXxX

"Leah?" I asked quietly.

She was in our room; of course. I could see her perched on the desk at the very back of the room, her eyes far away as she gazed at the cream carpet. As soon as I spoke her name, her head snapped up and her fiercely emotional eyes met my own.

"Yes?" she asked calmly. Her voice didn't betray her emotions.

"I'm sorry," I said quietly, moving over to her.

"I know," she ignored the arms that I had offered her, and the rejection stung.

"Alice had a vision," I told her, feeling that I owed her an explanation. "She saw you and your cousin Emily hugging whilst you wore your wedding garments and… I wondered if you wanted to invite her, and try to rekindle your old friendship."

Her eyes blazed, she whirled around to look at me with fury. Her nostrils were flared, fists clenched with fury as she just looked at me. She sucked in a deep, soothing breath and relaxed, her muscles loosening as she sat down on the desk once again.

"Emily's dead to me," she said, her voice bitter. The urge to hug her again, stroke her hair and kiss her softly in comfort, was hard to contain. "My cousin died when she ran off with my ex boyfriend – no, ex fiancé."

She laughed harshly.

"I don't love him anymore. I'm not heartbroken. But I remember how I felt at the time, betrayed by my fiancé and my cousin. Even if they did have some moronic wolfy claim to one another, they didn't need to rub it in my face. Even if they were deeply in love as soon as they saw one another, they shouldn't have… so fast…"

I realised she was getting upset. I found myself getting upset on her behalf; there were so many raw emotions, too many unresolved arguments.

I moved over to the desk, sat beside her and gently pulled her onto my lap. She didn't protest and leaned her head against my shoulder, exhaling heavily. One of her arms snaked around my back, and she hugged me to herself.

"I love you," she said quietly. "I know you meant well. I know you want me to be happy. But I can't be civil to her anymore. I said goodbye to my cousin as soon as she entered Forks."

"I love you too."

My thoughts whirled as I spoke, though. I could easily imagine Leah being slightly bitter over her past love triangle for several years if it wasn't resolved before the wedding. I wanted her to cut any pain from her life; so that she could be fully happy with me.

I knew what she needed to do.

"Leah," I said, my voice steady despite my inner uncertainty. "I think that you need to talk to them."

Her eyes blazed – I held up a hand.

"Please hear me out," I said. She relaxed slightly, but her neck was tight as she nodded. "I think that you should tell them this. Everything. I think you need to tell them exactly what you felt, and then you can finally let it go."

She looked tense, angry. For a moment, I wondered if she was going to explode into a giant wolf and tear up our room.

But then, she suddenly relaxed into me and nodded, a small smile on her face.

"You know," she commented lightly. "If any other person had told me that, they would be dead and buried by now. Only you, Edward Masen."

She'd begun calling me Masen since our engagement. I liked it; the way that she said it proved that she loved both the vampire and human part of me. She accepted it all.

I hugged her gently.

"I can come if you wish," I said, not wanting to impose. Though Leah never minded me company – quite the opposite, in fact, she greatly enjoyed it – I knew that this would be an emotional, difficult thing for her to do.

"Of course I do," she replied, as if it was obvious. She looked up from where her head rested against my collarbone, a small smile present on her face.

"I trust you, Edward. And I love you. Completely and truly."

A.N: Please review! Feedback and stuff would be awesome.

OH!

Whlie I remember, would anybody be Interested in another outtake? I was thinking that it would take place somewhere in the year that Leah and Edwards love blossomed haha. Let me know either on my poll (see profile) or in reviews. And if you do want an outtake, what do you want it to be about? Let me know :)


	48. This Is It

**A.N: Be prepared for this... some of you might not be very happy... I apologise if you aren't. **

**Chapter 48 - This Is It **

**Edward**

The journey to La Push was long, stressful.

Leah had slept badly the night before, mumbling in her sleep. She'd dreamt, which was also a rare occurrence for Leah. Her sleep was usually deep, uninterrupted. She slept like a log, as the saying goes.

She decided to drive, in her Ferrari. Her thoughts had shown that she wanted to flaunt her new life in the face of her ex-boyfriend and 'ex-cousin' as she viewed Emily. I found that slightly sad; when Leah recounted memories of them, they were happy and filled with laughter. Love can make or break a person, and it had definitely caused the breaking of Leah and Emily's relationship.

I knew the precise moment that we crossed the border. The scent of werewolves filled the car, and I had to prevent myself from wrinkling up my nose. Though Leah didn't mind my reaction to the scent of wolves, I preferred to remain polite throughout our visits to Quileute territory.

"Are you sure that you're ready for this?" I asked, noticing that Leah's breathing tempo had increased slightly as we crossed the border. Her heartbeat was slightly faster than normal, too.

She nodded, but didn't speak.

"I want you to do this at your own speed," I continued, worried that she felt pressurised. "Not anybody else's. If you don't feel ready, we can come back at any time. We don't even have to see them again, if that's what you would prefer."

I barely had time to finish my sentence before Leah's lips pressed against mine in a short, but passionate kiss. I responded strongly, enjoying the taste of her and the feel of her warm body so close to mine. I still struggled to believe that this woman could be mine.

"Edward, I want to do this. I need to get everything out there. I've had stewing emotions for too long, but I didn't actually consider this as an option," she looked at me with wide eyes, showing me that her words were nothing but the truth.

I nodded, settled back in the seat. I felt much more comfortable knowing that this was what Leah wanted, rather than that she felt obliged to come here and speak to her cousin and ex.

A couple of moments later, Leah shot me a very sexy smirk. Before I could question her, she jerked the steering wheel of the Ferrari and the car swung around in a perfect arc, finally stopping beside the curb. She'd parked perfectly before what I assumed to be Sam and Emily's house.

Leah looked up at me with a pleading expression on her face.

"What's wrong?" I asked, slightly panicked. I hated it when Leah looked to be anything other than happy.

"I'm sorry for dragging you here," she said quietly.

"Leah, I wanted to come," I replied, relaxing as I realised that her worries were nothing.

"I... Will you wait here, for me?" she asked. Her eyes were wide, pleading with me to understand. The expression was both heartbreaking and adorable.

"Of course," I replied simply. "Do you want me to go further afield so that I can't hear?"

"No," Leah said. "I prefer it when you're close. It makes me feel more secure," she flashed me a sexy smile. "I probably won't be very long..."

"It's fine, sweetheart," I said with a smile. "Take all the time that you need. I don't have any plans for today."

Leah nodded, smirked and then planted a chaste kiss on my lips. It was short and incredibly sweet. A smile was plastered to my face as she pulled away.

"Good luck," I said as she climbed from the car, holding the door ready to close it.

"Thank you," she replied, before blowing me a kiss, throwing me one of her sexy smirks and turning around, slamming the car door as she marched briskly towards the Uley household.

XxXxXxXxX

**_Leah_**

I knocked on the door briskly, ready to just get this over with. I wasn't there to fix my relationship with my cousin; I was just there to rage and storm for a few minutes, to get out all of my frustration and then disappear, and return to my happy life with Edward.

The door swung open, and revealed my cousin.

Memories hit me with full force. Seeing my cousin, dressed up in a sickeningly familiar red and white gingham apron, caused my expression to soften. I could remember the Christmas when I had bought her an apron identical to the one that she wore currently, along with a cookbook complete with the ingredients for a chocolate cake.

Her scars seemed smaller, fainter, as she beamed at me widely. It wasn't a fake expression; she seemed genuinely thrilled to see me.

"Leah! I can't believe you actually came... I asked your Mom, but I didn't think that she'd really... Anyway! How are you? I heard about Edward... Oh, come in!"

I couldn't bring myself to hiss at her, but I did stiffen slightly as she grabbed my wrist and tugged me gently into the house. The red door was shut behind me, and I was still standing there awkwardly, not entirely sure what to say.

"What brings you here, Lee?" Emily asked, the beaming smile still present on her face.

I sighed heavily; it was now or never.

"We need to talk," I said in a small voice.

XxXxXxX

Emily went into the kitchen and put the kettle on, after nodding at my ridiculous choice of words. She told me to make myself at home in the small lounge room, which was just off of the kitchen.

I shuffled awkwardly in my seat. I'd chosen the red armchair closest to the door, with the intent that - if I became angry - I would run out of the house before I hurt Emily.

I looked around the lounge. There was a small, brick fireplace in the corner and a small orange fire burned dimly in the grate. An oak coffee table was set in front of the wide red couch, and another three armchairs were dotted around the room. It seemed cramped, yet homely.

As the kettle was boiling, Emily joined me in the lounge. She sat on the couch, which was the closest seat to me.

"Sam's on patrol at the moment," she said, to break the silence. "He should be for the next three hours or so, he only just left, actually."

I nodded. "I'm kind of glad he's not here. I wouldn't want to punch your husband," I chuckled wryly to myself, but Emily didn't laugh.

"Leah," she began, but I held up a hand.

"I can't be civil to him, I'm sorry, but I can't," I looked at her with a blank expression.

Emily shook her head. "I wasn't going to demand that of you. I can't sympathise, because I've never had my heart broken. But I can empathise, Lee. I know he broke your heart, and I'll never be able to say how sorry I am for that... I'm sorry for so many different things."

I wasn't entirely sure how she'd managed to go from being staggeringly happy to miserably depressed.

"Why did you do it?" the words left my mouth before I could stop them.

She looked at me, and I could see tears glistening at the edges of her eyes.

"I love him," she said quietly.

"So did I," I said before I could stop myself.

"If I could go back in time, I would have done it differently, Lee," Emily said softly. "I was so taken in at the idea of love. I'd never experienced it before, and when the large, mysteriously brooding man told me that he was a werewolf, and that he was my soul mate, I was thrilled."

She looked deeply sorry. I frowned; I'd never actually sat down to get the story from Emily. I had seen that she had a boyfriend - who was my ex - and I had become furious. I hadn't looked for any other sides of the story.

"I didn't even consider the fact that he was your ex. I was just thrilled that I didn't need to go through heartbreak as I found the man that I really wanted, and that I had him here. It was only after you had disappeared from my life that I realised," she said.

"I felt miserable. Sam worried, he thought that I was going into depression. He even made me go to the doctor's, to get it checked out. Obviously, it didn't work as I couldn't share the full story with a doctor. He prescribed some medication that would help, and I found myself getting back on track," she frowned.

"I really missed you," she said softly. "And I'm so sorry that I did that to you. That you lost your fiancé and your cousin because of my own foolish mistakes."

And my son, I added in my head, but Emily had no idea about that.

I didn't respond to her for a long moment. My mind was reeling, considering the idea of forgiving Emily and letting her back into my life. I couldn't deny that the idea was filling me with hope. Though memories of heartbreak surrounded Emily, she had still been my sister figure for a long time.

Could I let it go? Could I really let my guard down and allow myself to actually become friends with Emily again?

My mind filled with hope, and I sucked in a deep breath.

"I missed you too," I said quietly.

XxXxXxX

I was grinning wildly after two and a half hours of sitting with Emily. I'd anticipated a twenty minute rant when I entered the house, not a two hour long period of catching up with my cousin. Emily's cell number was tucked away in my jacket pocket, and I'd given her my own cell number in turn.

"How's Jacob?" I asked, as the conversation had started to slow again. We'd had a few slows in conversation, when the atmosphere had become slightly awkward. It was only to be expected; we hadn't spoken in years now. But we were trying.

"He's doing well," Emily replied at once. "He misses you, though. He's doing well with Bella, he's even thinking about proposing. Wouldn't it be odd if the two of you got married within the same year?"

I smiled. Emily had taken the news about my marriage incredibly well - so much so, that I had decided to give her the invitation. I'd made it clear that Sam wasn't invited, though.

She didn't mind; she said that she was happy for me, and had even given me a big hug.

When I'd asked her why she wasn't freaking out like any other Quileute would, she had simply replied and said;

"Sam is a mythical creature, so is Edward. Besides, the Cullens try and retain their humanity by drinking from animals, and they haven't slipped in the time that they've lived here. If they drank from humans, I'd be a bit more wary of your relationship with him. Besides, if you're happy now, then I'm ecstatic."

Which had pretty much sealed the deal for me. If she could be happy for me, no matter what species my fiancé was, then she was definitely being a good cousin.

"I should probably think about leaving soon..." I said quietly. Sam would be arriving back from patrol, and while I was still ready to rage and storm at him, I also didn't want to tarnish my new found relationship with my cousin. I stood, and smiled at Emily, who smiled in turn. She stood too.

"It was lovely to see you again, Leah," she said sincerely. "Call me sometime, keep me up to date, will you?"

"Of course," I said with a small smile. Emily looked as if she was ready to give me a goodbye hug, but I definitely wasn't ready for that kind of development in our relationship, so I just smiled and waved at her, turning towards the door.

However, some higher power must have been laughing at me, as a moment later the front door creaked and a very familiar voice called out;

"Honey, why is there a leech on our drive?"

I stiffened, my muscles hardening as I swallowed hard. Anger filled me, and I hadn't even laid eyes on the bastard yet. I closed my eyes, tried to control my shaking. Normally, Edward was present to stop me phasing.

Emily shot me a look - there was a panicked emotion lingering in her eyes. She didn't respond, knowing that I didn't want to see or speak to Sam.

"Honey?" Sam probed when he received no reply. A moment later, the door creaked and was pushed open.

Sam's head peeped around the edge of the door frame, and his eyes locked onto my own.

"Ah. Leah."

He said my name so coldly, as if I was the one who had hurt him.

I briefly considered kneeing him in the balls and ensuring that he could never pass on the bastard gene.

I didn't respond to him, instead closed my eyes and fought to keep my composure. Though, apparently it was already slipping.

"So your leech gave you a lift here?" his words caused my temper to flare. Either he was exceptionally thick and didn't notice, or he was trying to rile me up as he spoke again. "I can't believe you would even consider marrying a bloodsucker. I'm surprised that the Elders even allowed your relationship, never mind this. Besides, to marital vows even apply to bloodsuckers?"

My body was shaking; I couldn't hold it in. I shot Emily the briefest of apologetic looks before ramming my knee up - hard.

A strangled, pained sound left Sam as he doubled over, clutching his balls.

Emily gasped.

I ignored her for the moment.

"You have no right to speak about relationships, because you definitely fucked up ours when you hooked up with my cousin a couple of days after dumping me! That is just a taste of what you did to me when you killed our son."

Emily gasped again.

"Do you know how much it fucking hurt? You left me, and then I lost my son, the only thing that was keeping me going. You have no idea what pain is, you bastard."

It hurt, bringing up old memories, but at the same time, it felt good. I was right to listen to Alice on this.

"Leah, I'm sorry," he wheezed, straightening up but still covering his privates.

"No you're not. If you were sorry, you would have said so years ago," I hissed at him. "But don't worry. This is the last time you're going to see me."

He looked confused, still protecting his privates with his hands.

"This is my final goodbye," I added, before ramming my fist straight into his nose. There was a sickening 'CRACK' and blood started to pour from his nose in a steady torrent.

I looked back to shoot Emily one more apologetic glance, and then pushed past Sam, went straight to the door and left.

I jogged down the path, climbed straight into the Ferrari and gunned the engine, before peeling down the road away from the house.

Edward looked at me; a mixture of awe and shock present in his eyes.

"I'm proud of you," he said quietly.

And then, he effectively lightened the mood.

"But you should've hit him harder."

XxXxXxX

**A.N: I know, some of you will be like 'WTF why did she forgive Emily so easy?" and well, to be perfectly honest, I have absolutely no idea. I mean, I had no reason to add Emily back into the story... but I thought it would be kind of nice, to have the two cousins as friends again. Hopefully the way that I've worded Emily's story will soften you guys towards it a little... **

**If you really didn't like the emily bit, I do apologise, but please keep in mind that she won't be a big part of the story. We probably won't even see her again. **

**OUTTAKE! You guys screamed 'YES!' for another outtake (I know I'm making it OTT, I always do.) So, what do you guys want it to be about? Requests would be good, I'll probably make it into a poll this evening or something. **

**My idea was Edward's birthday, as I mentioned it in another chapter. The one with the buttercream icing cake, with writing in blood? Yeah, I thought that might be quite fun. Well, let me know what you guys want to see. **

**SEQUEL AND KIDS: So lots of you guys said yes to a sequel, too. Lots of you - paticularly Marie, my old time reviewer- wanted kids too. I do have plans for the sequel, but I am not giving anything away. However, I'm a bit stumped for a name. Hmm...**

**IMPRINTING: **

**A lot of you also wanted Bella and Jacob to split, with Jacob imprinting. Now, I did really like the idea of Bella trying to get Edward back, but unfortunately I already have plans for those two. Unfortunately, any Jacob fans will not like my plans. **

**Also, one reviewer mentioned Leah's imprinting. In the books, it seemed as if it wasn't possible for Leah to imprint... So in IWMUH, Leah will not imprint. She loves Edward :) **

**Thank you to all of my reviewers: I got eight reviews last time! Drop me a line if you have any requests, there's only one more chapter to be written up! **


	49. Joe The Baker

**A.N: **So I was thinking about last chapter with a :( kind of expression on my face. I didn't get as many reviews as I would have liked... But traffic stats are good. Did you all decide to just give me the cold shoulder?

I was deeply torn, because I don't have the next chapter written up. I could either leave it for a bit until I had the next one, or I could just put it up now.

I decided to put it up now, cuz why not?

But, **please, please review! We're near to the end; as in one more chapter, then the wedding and the epilogue. I'd love to hear from you before the end.**

Also: **visit the poll on my profile, it's about the outtake!**

Enjoy this one; I actually think that it's my **favourite chapter** so far.

**Chapter 48 - Joe The Baker**

Several weeks passed after the incident at Sam and Emily's. I found myself grinning at the memory of blood gushing from Sam's nose, though I felt guilty at causing my cousin pain. Emily had meant well, and despite the fact that my visit was unannounced, she had welcomed me into the house enthusiastically and been ready to repair our friendship. She'd even accepted the fact that I wanted to be with Edward without a second thought; she hadn't judged me harshly as most of the other Quileutes had.

My phone was filled with texts from Emily; I had not answered a single one. I felt guilty about that, though. Her messages were mostly apologising for her husband's behaviour, and she had assured me that she berated him fiercely once I had left. She asked me how I was repeatedly, and continued to apologise profusely.

As if on queue, my phone beeped and a message flashed up on the screen.

Sender: Emily

_Message: I'm really sorry about Sam. Is he the reason why you aren't replying to me? I really miss you, Leah. Sunday was great; please reply soon, or at least let me know that you're doing okay. I'm worried about your comment... about your 'final goodbye.' That wasn't the last time I got to talk to you, was it?_

She hadn't signed the text, and guilt stirred within me.

"Why aren't you replying to her?" Edward asked calmly, entering the room too quickly for my eyes to notice. His eyebrows were raised in question; he wasn't accusing, merely curious.

"I'm not entirely sure," I hedged. "I'm a little worried that Sam will see my texts to her... and it feels slightly strange, going from hating somebody with a passion to being friends with them."

"You should speak to her," Edward said calmly. "Even if Sam does happen to catch sight of the text, it obviously wasn't intended for him to see. Besides, Emily obviously misses you dearly. It would be nice if you could keep aspects of your human life, especially as you obviously want to speak to her."

Edward smiled his crooked smile. I smiled in turn, and he winked at me.

Thank you, I thought.

"No problem," he replied, before moving forwards to kiss me chastely, then exiting the room. I picked up my phone, hit the 'reply.'

Sender: Leah

Message: I'm sorry I've not been answering... I read all of your texts. I was just worried about other things. I'm doing well, very excited for the wedding. I can't believe that there are only five days to go before Edward and I are married! Don't worry, Em. It won't be the last time that we speak. For one thing, I expect you to catch my bouquet at the wedding.

I didn't sign it, but grinned as I hit send. I went downstairs, and smiled as I entered the lounge. The Cullen family seemed so, unnaturally normal.

They were seated in couples around the room. Alice was sat on Jasper's knee, while Emmett and Rosalie were intertwined on the love seat. Carlisle and Esme were in the kitchen; I could see Carlisle's shadow, and hear them both speaking quietly to one another whilst Esme cooked my lunch.

"Where's Edward?" I asked, noticing that he wasn't in the room. As I listened, I'd realised that he wasn't in the house, either.

"I think he went to your room," Rose responded, obviously referring to our private room in the garage.

"Okay, thanks Rose," I said with a grin.

I waved, and a few muttered goodbye's met my ears.

"Oh, Leah?" Alice called.

I turned around, poked my head back through the lounge doorway.

"Yes?" I asked.

"I was looking on the internet, and I found another bakery that can do your wedding cake for the day. I can't believe that Pierre would let me down like that... he used to be an incredibly reliable guy," she trailed off, shaking her head disapprovingly.

Pierre's bakery, the one with the name that I couldn't pronounce, had rung the house two days ago to inform Alice of the fact that he couldn't make my wedding cake in time. We had both been suitably furious - I was ready to jump in my car, drive over to Seattle and murder the guy, but Edward had stopped me.

Since then, Alice had been looking for bakeries that could do wedding cakes in such a short amount of time, and apparently she'd finally found one.

"Oh yeah, who?" I asked curiously.

"A guy called Joe, at a place called The Seattle Bakery. Rubbishy name or what?" she asked with a grin.

"Mmm," I humoured her.

"I'm going down later on to give the guy a specification of the cake and stuff, do you want to come too?" she asked.

"Sure, I've got nothing else planned," I replied with a smirk. "Back in a bit now Ali."

She waved, settled back into Jasper's chest before I left the room.

I ran across the driveway, trying to avoid getting soaked but apparently it was inevitable as I found myself locked out of the garage.

"Dammit Edward, open the fucking door!" I yelled as my hair stuck to my forehead, my clothes soaking instantly.

I heard Edward mutter 'shoot' before fumbling with his keys. A moment later, the door slid open and I rushed in, trying to shelter myself from the rain, despite the fact that I was already soaked.

"Sorry, sweetheart," he said, kissing me gently. It was a longer kiss than usual - Edward kissed me chastely in front of his family, but he became much more enthusiastic when we were alone.

"You smell so good in the rain," he said, before wrapping his arms around me and pulling me up into his arms. I wrapped my legs around his waist and my arms around his neck as we continued to kiss. My hands tangled in his hair, enjoying the feel.

Suddenly, we were moving out of the garage into the rain.

"Edward!" I shrieked, as I found myself being soaked once again. He spun me around in a circle, causing me to shriek as we both laughed.

"You" - he kissed me gently - "are" - another kiss - "so" - another lovely kiss - "sexy." He spun me around again, swinging me upwards and kissing me again. We were both soaked, and I understood what he meant about my smelling good in the rain.

"You smell amazing," I said without thinking.

He laughed, planting another kiss on my lips.

"You are amazing," he said. "I love you so much, Leah Clearwater. I will love you for the rest of eternity."

Then, he wrapped his arms around me, and spun me around in the rain once again.

XxXxXxX

It was still raining heavily at one o'clock that afternoon when we pulled up outside the Seattle Bakery. When Alice had seen me re-enter the house, soaking wet, she had pulled me upstairs, pushed me into the shower and commanded that I change into the hoodie, T-shirt and leggings that she had provided.

"You see this?" Alice asked, snapping me out of my reverie. I looked up. There was a blue, floral umbrella in her hands. She had her eyebrows raised, her golden eyes sharp.

"This is an umbrella," she continued. "People use these when it rains."

I rolled my eyes at her.

Alice climbed out of the car, and then thought that it was necessary to open my door for me and then escort me into the shop to ensure that I didn't get wet as I had earlier.

We entered the shop, and I looked around, taking it in. The place wasn't well decorated, but it didn't need to be. My main focus was on the food in the windows. Pasties, pastries of all kinds and several cakes. I could see bits of shortbread, decorated with icing. It all looked fabulous.

"Can I help you?" My head snapped to the side forcefully, as the voice that I heard was familiar. When I tried to recall why it was familiar, my memory rebelled against me. I considered for a moment, but as I actually looked at the man before me, I realised why.

Joe Smith.

No fucking way.

He was older than he was when I'd first met him, but that was to be expected. He had a set of wrinkles now, around his eyes and creasing his forehead. I could tell from his wrinkles that he smiled, a lot. I could see the faint outline of frown lines, but mainly creases from when he had smiled.

"Joe Smith?" I asked before I could stop myself.

"That's my name, why don't I know yours?" he replied, and I smirked. Even though I'd only met Joe the once, he was still exactly as I remembered him. No wonder I'd named him 'Bastard.'

He looked at me for a moment, scrutinising. Barely a second passed, and awareness dawned in his eyes. A smile spread onto his face.

"Leah?" he asked hopefully.

"That's me," I replied. "You were wrong."

"But I never got that last name," Joe said, quick as ever.

"And you never will."

Alice decided to intervene at this point. She stepped forwards, causing Joe's gaze to automatically move to her. She held out a hand, a dazzling smile forming on her face. Joe's eyes became a little distant; she was doing the dazzling vampire thing.

"Hi!" she said enthusiastically. 'I'm Alice Cullen, this is my soon to be sister in law, Leah."

I noticed that Alice didn't mention my surname.

"Nice to meet you," Joe said, shaking her hand. "And I guess that the whole 'soon to be sister in law' means that you want a cake, or something. Getting married, eh sugar?" Joe smirked at me.

I rolled my eyes.

"Yes, we had a bakery ready to make the cake already, but unfortunately I got a call on Tuesday saying that they could no longer meet the deadline," Alice said, brisk as always. "I saw on your website that you'd be able to do a wedding cake within five days?" she made it sound like a question.

"Yep, I don't really get much business for wedding cakes. Mostly kids and people coming in to get pasties for lunch and stuff," Joe replied.

"Awesome," Alice said. "Leah's wedding is on Tuesday, would it be possible for you to get one ready for then?"

"Should be," Joe replied. "I managed two days at a push once..." he seemed to be deep in thought. He snapped out of it, looking from me to Alice. "Do you have any idea about what you want the cake to look like?"

Ali produced a picture from somewhere and the two began to chat animatedly, debating between different frostings.

I zoned out, pulled my phone from my pocket and checked my messages.

Two unread texts, one from Emily and the other from Edward. I opened Edward's first.

Sender: Edward Message: I'm missing you already, sweetheart. We should go out in the rain again this afternoon. I'm still stunned from your performance earlier. Joe the Baker is a bit of a... pervert, I suppose you would say. But he means well, and he does intend to get the cake finished so that you can have the perfect day.

I smiled gently. I wanted to go back out into the rain with Edward, too. His scent was amazing, and he seemed so carefree. I also made a note to take him to a theme park after the wedding; we both needed a bit of a laugh, and god knows we had both enjoyed it last time.

I opened the second text, glancing up to see if Alice and Joe were almost finished with their conversation. It seemed that they were.

Sender: Emily

Message: Oh god, it would be so cool if I actually caught you bouquet at your wedding! What are you doing today, Lee?

I smiled, typed up a quick reply.

Sender: Leah

Message: I'll try and toss it in your direction. I'm actually at a bakery about a wedding cake. Alice is sorting it out, so I'm just hovering awkwardly by the window. The guy who's making the cake also happens to be a guy who hit on me at a bar ages ago... slightly awkward.

I smiled and hit send.

I found myself standing close to Joe whilst Alice went to pay. He smiled at me.

"So you found Mr. Right then?" he asked me with another jovial smile.

"I certainly did," I replied, smiling in response.

Edward certainly was Mr. Right. I briefly considered the image of him wearing a tuxedo and a very calm expression, imagined him wearing extraordinarily shiny shoes.

Snap out of it, Lee.

"Any look on your front?" I asked, focusing.

"None," he sighed. "Maybe some day. It doesn't look good until then."

I frowned. Joe was a sharp, quick witted but perverted guy. Sure, he was a little rude, but I was surprised that he hadn't managed to find somebody yet.

"No luck with the ginger that I pointed out, then?" I asked.

"She cheated on me after three months."

"I'm sorry," I replied at once, not knowing that kind of sting but definitely knowing the hurt of heartbreak.

"Don't worry, Lee. How were you meant to know that she was a bitch?" I laughed.

He smiled, too.

"Done!" Alice sang, skipping over. She hooked her arm through mine.

"Thanks again for everything, Joe. I'll pop back on... Saturday? Or Sunday... Are you open on Sundays?"

"Sunday's good," Joe confirmed. "See you around, Leah."

Alice dragged me from the bakery, my call of goodbye lingering behind me.

XxXxXxX

We pulled up on the drive, and I could hear the soft, flowing sound of Edward's viola. The viola was deeper than my violin, and it suited Edward. We - well, Edward, he was the musical genius after all - had composed several duets with viola and violin, and they both sounded wonderful.

I paused on the drive, just listening to the sound of the viola.

My eyes closed; I found myself picturing Edward when he played. He always looked magnificent, his eyes closed as he was enthralled by the music. He looked beautiful when he played.

The final note rang out through the house, and I smiled, running towards the house. I was slightly annoyed at the fact that the rain had stopped now; I wanted to repeat our earlier performance of just laughing together in the rain.

"Leah," I heard him say, and my eyes latched onto him.

I jumped, flying towards him and he caught me as always. His eyes were alight with mischief, his hair slightly dishevelled. I pressed my lips to his, and we just kissed for a few long moments. When I finally pulled away, Edward laughed.

"Hello to you too," he smirked.

"I missed you," I replied, smiling.

"I'm sure you did," he said with a laugh. "I missed you too."

He moved me in his arms, swinging me around and holding me to his body, bridal style. I wrapped my arms around his neck.

"Shall we go and finish that duet?" I whispered in his ear.

"Definitely," Edward said with a smile.

We moved upstairs at vampire speed, and Edward set me down on top of his grand piano. He bent down and retrieved my violin from where he kept it safely beneath the piano.

Looking around the music room, you would think that all of the Cullens played, and that they were exceptionally dedicated to their music. However, while all of them had tried an instrument, none of the other Cullens had made the instrument sing as Edward did. He had told me that, before I came along, he wished that he had somebody to play music with, who enjoyed it as much as he did.

Edward raised his viola, placed it to his collar bone. His jaw rested neatly on the chin rest, and then, he brought the bow up and gently played the first note.

We played together for about half an hour, before my stomach decided to interrupt the piece. Edward instantly had his viola back in its case, whilst I was slower, insisting that I wasn't that hungry.

However, in my mind I found myself craving nachos, for some reason, and so a couple of minutes later I found myself in the kitchen, eating from a bowl of nachos.

As I looked around the Cullen house, I found myself thinking of how much my life had changed - for the fiftieth time. I couldn't believe that so much had happened in the last year and a half.

But most of all, I couldn't believe that I had Edward.

A.N: **Review? Missing the regulars :( Tell me what you think about Leah and Emily, and the scene in the rain? What about Joe - should he go to the wedding? Let me know! **


	50. Our Wedding

**A.N: This is it. Thank you so much for joining me on the ride; I hope that you enjoy this as much as I did.**

**Songs: Happy New Year, Jamie Hartman**

Chapter 49 - Wedding

I was _tense._

The night before my wedding had been spent in my Mother's house. She was so glad to get me to herself for one more night, before I became a married woman ready to start my own life. I noticed that Mom referred to it as 'starting a new life' rather than 'starting a new family.' She knew that Edward and I would be unable to have kids.

Mom and I stayed up late that night. I didn't want a stag night, even though Emmett had been all for it. He'd tried to convince Edward to have a stag do, with no avail. Edward claimed that he was happy about becoming a married man, and that he didn't want to go out and mourn the loss of his single days.

I'd found it cute; Emmett found it corny. Which it was, I suppose. But Edward could make mouldy cheese cute to me.

That morning, I awoke to the sound of a loud horn being honked outside my window.

Not even bothering to wipe the sleep from my eyes or pull on a dressing gown, I stumbled over to the window and pulled back my curtains, opening the window widely and yelling out for the whole street to hear:

"Oi, fucktard! Some of us are trying to get some sleep before our _wedding day!"_

A tinkling of laughter filled my ears, and I looked down, finally noticing the canary yellow Porsche Boxster Spyder. Alice was leaning against the driver's side, looking up at me with a highly amused expression on her face. She gestured to the car with her thumb.

I groaned.

I moved away from the window without uttering an apology, and quickly entered the bathroom. I didn't bother showering, figuring that Alice would make me shower and change once I arrived at the Cullen house. I pulled on my sweatpants and a loose fitting red hoodie.

"Morning Mom," I said, a little grouchy. The high from 'I'm getting married today!' was just starting to hit me, but I wasn't quite feeling it at that moment.

"Somebody's enthusiastic," Mom replied with a chuckle.

"I am enthusiastic," I responded. "But it's six thirty am. I kinda expected more sleep," I said, muttering curses about Alice under my breath.

Mom chuckled and handed me a slice of eggy bread, before pulling me in for a big hug and wishing me luck. Then, she pushed me gently towards the front door.

"You don't want to keep Alice waiting," Mom told me with a laugh.

I chuckled in return, held up a hand as a goodbye wave and ran out of the front door, pulling my hood up as I went. It was a rainy day in Forks; it was pouring it down.

However, as I trudged through the rain I found that my hood was no longer necessary; Alice was walking alongside me, holding a red and white spotty umbrella in one hand. She shot me one of her 'look's, daring me to comment.

I merely raised my eyebrows as I reached the passenger door of the Porshce; she held open the door for me and held the umbrella up over the door so that I wouldn't get wet. I wasn't entirely sure what the reasoning behind that was; I was going to shower once I got to the Cullen's anyway.

As soon as Alice was in the car beside me, she let out a squeal and pulled me into a hug.

"Oh my goodness, the next time you get into this car you'll be Mrs. Leah Masen! I can't believe it!" Alice squealed, clinging to me.

A grin formed on my face as I thought about that. In twenty four hours, I would be Mrs. Leah Masen, and I would be married to Edward.

"Fuck," I said with a laugh. "I can't believe it. Put your foot down Ali!" I yelled, as a mixture of happiness and road rage overtook my mind.

Alice didn't protest, slamming down onto the accelerator. The car's tyres squealed, smoke rising around the Porsche as we sped down the street.

* * *

><p>An hour later, Alice was examining my hair critically. She'd spent the past thirty minutes straightening it down; my hair was incredibly long now. I'd become a rather shaggy wolf, but I didn't care. I wasn't cutting my hair for the sake of it; the only problem was that more debris from the forest got stuck in my fur when I phased with Edward.<p>

"You're going to look beautiful," Alice said, dropping the piece of my hair that she'd been examining. A beaming smile was present on my soon to be sister-in-law's face.

I smiled too, turning to the mirror. I was dressed in a white camisole and a pair of Edward's khaki shorts; feeling very comfortable in the outfit, too. I could see my wedding dress hung on the door of Alice's closet, the small veil draped over the coat hanger.

"I'm going to feel it, too," I said happily. "Thank you, Alice."

She beamed. "No problem, sis. Now hold still while I put your hair into a bun."

Another hour later, my hair was done, and I was zipped into my wedding dress. The soft fabric was comfortable against my skin, and rather than feeling edgy as I'd expected to, I felt happy and ready for this.

Completely and truly.

"Are you ready?" Alice asked me, smiling. She was dressed in her bridesmaid dress, which was navy blue. It was pretty, not over the top. Though the two vampire bridesmaids that I would be having were extrodinarily beautiful to the human eye, I actually felt as if I would be the centre of the attention; which was what every woman wanted on their wedding day.

Rosalie appeared, wearing the same outfit as Alice. The dress was long on her, clinging to her body and flowing down, reaching the floor and concealing the strappy midnight blue high heels that she wore on her feet. Alice wore the same shoes, and she seemed to be enjoying her increase in height.

"Just about," I said, my voice a little high.

Alice laughed. "Don't worry. He's waiting for you."

Those words caused an automatic smile to form on my face, and a new spring was present in my step as we walked slowly down the stairs.

We would be taking Carlisle's Mercedes - who was my designated driver - to the little church in Forks.

I was practically bouncing in anticipation as I climbed into the back of the car.

Alice shot me a smile and handed me my bouquet. The gorgeous blue wildflowers, supplied by Fleur. I smiled slightly at the memory.

Then, I turned in my seat to look back at the house for the last time as a single woman.

* * *

><p>I never really realised the consequences of my father's death. At the time, I was weeping for both the loss of a life, and for the loss of my father. But as I stood, waiting to walk down the aisle, I wished that my dad was with me more than ever before.<p>

Alice and Rosalie stood before me, oblivious to my internal sorrow. It was my wedding day - I was supposed to be incredibly happy. I was supposed to be flying at this moment in time, I was supposed to be incredibly nervous, yes, but I was supposed to be ecstatic on the inside.

And I was, really I was. I couldn't wait to become Mrs. Masen, but being walked down the aisle by your father and being given away seemed like a rite of passage. I wished my father was here to walk me down the aisle. I wished somebody was stood with me, waiting to walk me down the aisle. Though I had two bridesmaids, I felt almost lonely without my father.

A low sigh came from my lips, and Alice looked up at me, her eyes probing.

"Are you okay?" she asked, her eyes concerned. Rosalie turned too, eyeing me nervously. I nodded, sucked in another deep breath. Then, I looked back up at Alice, plastered a smile onto my face.

"Just nervous," I lied. Alice nodded, finding nothing wrong with my answer. She patted my blazing hot arm lightly, and I found solace in her cold touch. It reminded me of Edward - and as soon as I thought his name, I was craving his company. We hadn't been apart for this long since... I don't know when.

"Leah."

I almost jumped out of my skin when I saw Carlisle standing before me. He was wearing a three piece, jet black suit with a red handkerchief tucked into his breast pocket. His brow was furrowed in concern; he was examining me silently.

"Yes, Carlisle?" I asked. "Shouldn't you be sat down already?"

"I should," he agreed. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Alice jump up and down on her toes with enthusiasm at whatever was coming next in my future. Carlisle put his hand on his hip, and smiled widely at me.

"Why are you out here then?" I asked when he didn't elaborate. He grinned, still smiling, and said six words that both broke my heart, and filled me with happiness at the same time.

"I'm here to give you away."

"Really?" I whispered, eyes filling with happy tears. Carlisle beamed at me, nodded silently.

It wasn't Dad, and Carlisle would never be a replacement for him. But there was something there to fill the void, and I knew instantly that Dad would have been happy so long as I was happy. Maybe the two of them would've gotten along; good vampire, determined never to drink from a human and change lives for the better... determined fisherman with a strong heart and a happy persona...

I could see it.

"Really, Leah," Carlisle replied, cutting off my random musings.

I smiled hugely, put my arm through his. Carlisle beamed again, his golden eyes shining with happiness. I looked down, examining my dress. A tear fell from my eye.

"We're not even at the alter yet," Carlisle told me, and then he grinned. I smiled in response.

And then, Wagner's Wedding March reverberated through the walls. I could see Jasper sat at the organ from where I stood, and he winked subtly and shot me a thumbs up, still keeping perfect time.

I smiled at him in response, and we fell into place, walking slowly down the aisle. It was quite small. The room was wide rather than long, and I was glad I didn't have to trail down a long aisle. All I really wanted to do was get to Edward and get the deed done. That way, I could finally be with him, and have his last name on the end of mine.

I kept my steps even, copying Carlisle's movements. He was in perfect time with the music, of course.

"Here comes the bride… all fat and wide," Emmett joked as I walked past him. Subtly, I growled at him, and he called out: "Just kidding Lee! Don't hit me again! Please!"

I had to stop myself giggling at his antics; it probably wasn't the place.

Then, I looked up again, and saw Edward.

He really was a beauty to look at. His hair had been styled, Alice had obviously spent bottles of hair cream trying to smooth down his messy mop of ginger hair.

And then I looked up, into Edward's eyes.

I was bowled over by the emotion shown within them. Bright golden, glistening with unshed venomous tears of happiness. The pure, undiluted joy that I could see in his eyes was staggering, and my smile widened even more, if that was possible.

We were there.

The urge to touch Edward's face, or hug him, or even kiss him senseless in front of the minister and all of the guests, was hard to resist.

But as I was waring with myself in an internal battle, Carlisle solved my problem and took my hand, and then, slowly, placed it in Edward's.

I beamed at him. The minister was human - unfamiliar to us both. Edward leaned in, whispered something at a volume so that only supernatural creatures could hear.

"It's not ginger. It's auburn."

_Whatever, _I thought back to him. His grin widened, about to split his stone cheeks, I was sure. _Have I told you that you look especially dashing in a suit, Edward dearest?_

"I don't think you have. You'll have to tell me all about it as soon as you become Mrs Edward Masen," he whispered. A shiver ran down my spine, and I heard low chuckles come from Edward's family. My family now.

I glanced backwards to the left side of the church; my side. My Mother, Seth, and most of the Pack including Emily were there. Emily beamed at me and waved a hand when I noticed her; I just smiled widely at her.

Nothing, not even Paul's cocky smile, could bring me down at that moment.

"We are gathered here today…" the minister started. I turned around immediately, my eyes forward on the minister. I couldn't help my eyes reverting back to Edward's form beside me though. Edward continued to notice; a crooked smile was pulling up the left side of his face.

Then, he spoke, and his voice was gravelly, yet incredibly firm.

"I do," his voice rang out with sincerity and his eyes bore into mine, burning with love and happiness. I didn't even realise that we'd gotten to the 'I Do's' yet. My eyes quickly filled with happy tears as the minister turned to me.

"And do you, Leah Clearwater, take Edward Anthony Masen Cullen to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

"I do," I whispered, my voice choked with happy tears. _I'm going soft in my old age, Mr Cullen. I think perhaps I love you more than I realised I could._

Edward beamed.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride."

With startling speed, Edward crashed his lips to mine. Our lips worked together in a frenzy, and we could hear titters, but we ignored them, continuing to make out in front of both our families. There were a couple of retches, and I guessed they were from Paul.

When we pulled away, I could feel blood bubbling in my cheeks. Edward wrapped his arm around my waist, and then, we continued our wedding, and prepared silently for our forever.

* * *

><p>We had been swarmed by our families after the wedding. The wolves were wary of the Cullens, as was to be expected, but most of them tried. Paul and Emmett even hit it off; I could hear them discussing Modern Warfare 3 somewhere in the background, and made a mental note to teach Emmett the rule of 'there's a time and a place.'<p>

I threw my bouquet as we left the church, straight at Emily, who was standing beside Paul. And, the big doofus completely ignored Emily and reached in front of her, plucking the bouquet out of thin air.

I met the Denali Coven for the first time. I was a bit wary; I'd accepted Edward's family willingly, because they were all so lovely, but an unfamiliar coven consisting of three woman and one male? I was a little protective, possessive, even.

Tanya Denali was the one that I was most wary of. Edward and I had discussed past relationships, and he had brought up Tanya. Apparently she had attempted to seduce him at one point, when he was upset and lonely, desperate for a mate. Edward had refused her, though, and he claimed that while the rejection obviously stung her, she didn't attempt it again, nor did she disregard his wishes.

Carmen seemed the nicest. She was Spanish, her accent thick. But she hugged me, forward just like Alice, and then proclaimed that she would get used to the smell, which made me laugh.

Tanya was civillised; which was not what I'd anticipated. I had my arm through Edward's, the very epitome of possessive. I didn't care; we were married, I had a right to stake my claim.

Edward shot me a smile; he was reading my thoughts. He'd probably tell me that I was cute or something if Tanya wasn't able to hear.

His head moved down a fraction; agreeing with my thoughts.

Tanya pulled Edward into a hug, but it didn't last as long as I'd anticipated. She smiled warmly at both Edward and myself; though I noticed she was warmer to Edward than she was me.

"I'm glad that you found her," she told him.

Kate smirked at me when we met; but I was prepared for her.

The slight pinch of an electric shock stung slightly, but I didn't flinch or give any indication of pain. Her eyebrows arched in surprise when this happened; I was surprised that Edward had kept his promise and sat through it.

"You're strong," she greeted me with a smile. "Any other person would have retracted instantly. I admire that," her smile widened slightly and she nodded, as if showing her approval. "You have picked a good one there, Edward."

Edward and Kate smiled at one another.

Edward's smile fell from his face suddenly. "If you try that again, you'll have me to answer to," Edward said firmly.

Kate chuckled. "Don't worry, Edward."

The Denali coven remained near us for a while, conversing as guests came up to us to offer congratulations or compliment Alice's extravegant decorating skills.

After several people giving hugs to Edward and I, somebody unexpected arrived.

"Joe?" I said, shock filling my tone.

He was dressed in a dark suit, pulling awkwardly at the collar. He looked awkward altogether, his eyes darting around shiftily.

"Hi, Leah," he said nervously. He focused on me and smiled. "I crashed the wedding."

I gaped at him for a moment.

"No, only joking," he laughed nervously. "Alice invited me. Said that you'd probably want me to be here or something..."

"Of course," I said at once. "You're the baker. Trust Alice to remember that I knew you before the cake," I added dryly.

"Mmm," he agreed.

He looked around, checking the place out. We'd rented out a fancy hotel in Seattle, and were currently merging in the ballroom. There was a large table in the centre of the room, covered in wedding presents. Guests were mingling around the room.

"So, this is Mr. Right eh?" Joe asked, looking back to Edward and I. Edward chuckled quietly.

"Edward Masen," Edward replied, shaking Joe's hand. Joe's expression faltered slightly; he looked pained for a moment. I had a feeling that Edward was using his vampire strength to his advantage.

I - inconspicuously - nuged Edward in the ribs with my elbow. Hard.

He winced, released Joe's hand.

Joe shook out his hand; I could hear his fingers cracking.

"Joe Smith," he replied after a moment. "I made the cake," he gestured to the table in the centre of the room, where the gorgeous three tier cake was set on a large white stand.

It was amazing, really it was. The cake was decorated with white fondant icing, with midnight blue fondant icing around the edges in a decorative edging. Silver decorative balls were set into the icing at regular intervals, and on the very top of the cake, were two figures.

Edward and I.

Alice had - grudgingly - sacked the idea of having Edward as a vampire on the cake. Carlisle told her that it was too conspicuous, especially as unknowing humans would be present at the wedding. Some of my mother's friends, who knew nothing of the Quileute legends, as well as my Aunts and Uncles.

So now, the perfect model of Edward and I topped the cake. I grinned at it.

"Yes, I know," Edward said with a small smirk.

I elbowed him again.

"But thank you for doing it at such short notice," he added. "It means a lot to Leah and I."

Joe nodded, smiled.

"This is my new extended family," I added, taking the subject away from 'Mr Right'. 'Tanya Denali, Kate, Carmen and Eleazar."

Joe's eyes widened as he took in the unnatural beauty of the vampires. I repressed the urge to roll my eyes; beside me, Edward chuckled and wrapped his arm around my waist, pulling me closer to him and planting a soft kiss on my temple.

"Hello," Kate said with a polite smile. She eyed Edward, as if asking his permission. Edward shook his head firmly.

Kate pouted, looking sullen.

Tanya, however, seemed to be in her element as she smiled widely at Joe and took his hand in hers. Joe smiled widely in return.

"Tanya," she said, still smiling.

"Joe Smith," he replied at once, despite the fact that he'd already introduced himself once.

"Come on, Kate," Tanya said, withdrawing her hand from Joe's. "I think we need to check out this cake."

Joe's eyes were glued to Tanya's behind as she walked away.

I laughed. "Eyeing up another family member already?" I asked him.

He flushed.

I was surprised; though I didn't know Joe very well, he'd always seemed very forward in his approaches towards women, especially when we were clubbing. Now, he just seemed like a shy teenaged boy with a crush.

"Go and talk to her," I said, nudging him lightly. "You'll never know if she's Mrs. Right if you don't try," I added with a grin.

Joe smirked at me, and pulled me into a hug.

"You're one of a kind, sugar," he told me, before moving through the swathes of people towards Tanya and Kate.

Edward pulled me into a hug, and enthusiastically brought his lips to mine. It seemed as if we hadn't had a chance to just be alone yet.

"Shall we go outside?" I asked when he pulled away, breathless.

"Certainly, Mrs. Masen," he replied with a grin, before suddenly swinging me upwards into his arms; obviously not trying to make a sneaky retreat.

I could see guests staring - Paul and Jacob wolf whistled from the back of the room, whilst Bitch-Ella stood awkwardly beside him.

Yes, Jacob and Bella. I had been opposed to the idea of inviting Bella, but Edward told me, gently, that he wanted her to come. He said that it would be the last time we saw her. I knew that he wanted his closure.

And I respected his wishes, despite my pure hatred for the girl.

Edward put me down lightly on the grass, grinning at me.

"Alice did a good job with your tux," I said with a smirk. I grabbed the lapels of his jacket and pulled him down to my height, enveloping him in a kiss.

Click.

I jumped out of my skin, to see Jasper there, holding a professional photographer's camera. He was beaming unsubtly, and smirked at us when we turned to look at him. Edward's hair was stuck up a little bit now, not as flat was it was in the church.

"Alice told me to come and get some pictures," Jasper said, by way of explanation.

I rolled my eyes. Of course.

"Could you... lean against that tree, maybe?"

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><p>The photo taking lasted about thirty minutes, before we went back inside to cut the cake and such. As we crossed the threshold, I saw Bella Swan. She was waiting at the entrance, and her eyes were glued to Edward's form as we crossed.<p>

"Edward, can I have a word, please?" she asked, quickly crossing the room and lightly placing a hand on Edward's arm. I resisted the urge to break her arm to teach her a lesson.

Edward looked to me, though. His eyes silently conveyed the fact that he wouldn't speak to her if I didn't want him to.

"Go," I said firmly, with a false smile.

Bella smiled at me gratefully, but I didn't return the expression. She nodded at me, and the two of them went outside; I watched them go, determined to make sure that she did not touch him. My possessiveness was slightly over the top.

I decided to mingle a bit more, and I ran into Joe again. He was chatting up Tanya, who was laughing. I was a little surprised, but I did know that it was possible for vampires and humans to have a relationship.

I wondered how the Pack would react.

A few minutes passed, and I felt a cold arm slip securely around my waist. I leaned into Edward, knowing it was him without even looking.

"How did it go?" I asked quietly, as Edward swung me around and we walked away from the groups of people.

"She's happy for me," he replied calmly. "She's glad I've got you. I can't tell what she really thinks."

"You don't believe her?" I asked. I found it a little unbelievable, too. Swan couldn't resist sticking her claws into anyone.

"No," Edward replied calmly. "She's always been a bad liar."

He looked... bothered, somehow.

"Her opinion doesn't matter," I told him.

"I know," he said, and he grinned suddenly. "Nobody's opinion matters. As long as I have you."

He grabbed both of my hands and pulled me forwards, into his arms. His lips pressed against my forehead, but that wasn't enough. I moved and pressed my lips against his, in a soft and tender kiss.

* * *

><p>Finally, the night began.<p>

Dancing couples twirled across the dance floor. Fluorescent lights flashed wildly, and after my second drink, I could feel a headache coming on. Obviously, I wasn't getting tipsy or anything, but the volume of the music and the excitement of the day had obviously taken more out of me than I first realised.

"Fancy a dance outside, Mrs. Masen?" Edward asked.

Mrs. Masen. I refrained from grinning. I was Leah Clearwater Masen now; I'd kept Clearwater as my middle name. Some people did it; and I kind of wanted to keep the connection to my human life, just as Edward had.

I grinned, hooked my arm through Edward's. He beamed, gently led me across the floor and out of the door. He led me down the path and nearer to the forest; we could still hear the music from inside. I wondered briefly how loud it was to Edward.

He gently placed one hand on my hip, his cold temperature radiating through the dress. I repressed the urge to shiver at the contact; but not in a bad way.

He took my other hand in his, and we began to whirl around on the uneven ground.

I took the time to think back.

Everything had gone right, since I met Edward at that manky little pub in Seattle. Just sitting there, being assaulted by his scent, I was both angered and intrigued by him. What could he have had to gain, by sitting in a pub with his vampire siblings? He couldn't get hammered.

We'd become friends, and he'd been the best friend I could have wanted. It was only now that I realised that we had flirted a lot when we first became friends. I smiled; how could I not have noticed at the time?

He fixed me. Edward Anthony Masen had fixed me, completely and truly.

"I fixed you?" he sounded shocked.

"Of course you did," I said at once, smiling. "When I found you, you fixed everything for me."

"That's good to know," he replied, his voice quieter. "You are my light, Leah Masen. I have no idea what I would do without you."

I wrapped my arms around his neck, feeling the soft strands of ginger hair.

"I love you so much," I voiced, tangling my fingers in his hair.

"And I love you too. More than words can say," Edward replied, kissing me gently. He withdrew quicker than I would have anticipated, and quirked an eyebrow at me cockily.

"But we're going to have to do something about these ginger comments," he said with a chuckle.

I rolled my eyes. "How about this," I said, kissing him. "For every time I call you ginger, I will kiss you, no matter where we are."

"Deal," Edward said at once.

_Ginger_, I thought._ Ginger, ginger, ginger._

A cheeky grin formed on my face. Kiss, kiss, kiss, kiss.

I grinned hugely.

"Your hair is so ginger," I said, tangling my fingers again. "You are the biggest, most amazingly spectacular ginger that I have ever met."

Edward beamed, and then, he pressed his lips against mine in a long, lingering kiss.

* * *

><p>A.N: *Sob* Don't look at me.<p>

The epilogue will probably be up tomorrow, and I can deem this story complete. I'm so happy that so many of you joined me on this journey... rambling, sorry.

Outtake: We're drawing at the moment, so please go and vote on my profile, or in a review.

Reviews: Thank you so much for all the support you guys have given me over these past few months.

I will probably put up a wedding chapter in E POV, as it was requested by the amazingly fabulous reviewer Medusa. I swear, your reviews must take hours! Thanks for being there during this :)

I'm not going to do the saddo thanks thing...

(Thanks to everyone who reviewed, favourited, or even just stuck around to read this. I had my ups and downs, but you've all remained solid. So, thank you.)

I'm going to stop before I begin crying.

Any confusions/requests/final thoughts, let me know.

Soapy Water xx


	51. Epilogue: 2 Years Later

**A.N: This is really it... **

**I know that some of you won't be happy with what happens here (or happened) but it has been planned since the third chapter of IWMUH. I have planned this from the start, and it is now crucial to the sequel. **

**Sorry if you don't like the third person, but it seemed fitting for this chap.**

**Anonymous Review Replies: (Going to reply to member reviews in a moment, sorry bout the delay)**

**ANON: Sam wasn't invited, lol. Before Leah smashed his nose and killed his man parts, she said Sammy wasn't invited. :) **

**MT: Wondered where you were! Hope vacation was good, thanks again for your loverly reviews :)**

**Bahamas-Pink-Butterfly: Thank you so much! I'm glad you like it, I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint.**

**EDIT: I'm so sorry, but I'm disabling anonymous reviews. I'm a wuss, and the idea of being open for anybody to review is starting to bug me. MT, Marie One, anybody anonymous, I'm so sorry and I really appreciate your reviews, but it's giving me real stress now. Thank you for all your reviews it really means a lot :)   
><strong>

**Quick note: **

**I know the years are wrong for the technology and stuff, but fanFICTION is the key word. FICTION. **

**If you have problems with the overall thing of this chapter, I'm sorry, but it was planned for the start. Please don't flame to tell me that killing Jacob was a rubbish idea and it ruined the story or something... Or equally, go against my words and say that the story was rubbish from the start. **

**Bit paranoid about flames, lol.**

**Song: Northern Lights, Jamie Hartman. I urge you to listen to it, 'mazing song. **

* * *

><p>Epilogue: 2 Years Later<p>

It was a crisp, cool winter's day in Washington State. The sky was covered by a blanket of white clouds, and snow flakes were falling in torrents. Birds chirped as the snow storm worsened, and there was an air of magic about the little town of Forks.

In a secluded area of Forks, was the graveyard. Everything was white and glistening, icicles forming on the branches of trees. The gravestones were lit up, the black engravings enhanced by the bright white snow.

The cemetery was all but empty on the cold, winter's day. Different kinds of winter flowers had been placed on certain gravestones, the flowers being slowly covered by the falling snow.

The iron gate of the yard swung open slowly, creaking slightly. A pile of snow fell from the top of the gate, landing on the ground.

A young couple entered the graveyard. They appeared to be barely above high school age, their hands intertwined. If you looked beneath their black leather gloves, you would have seen the two, identical wedding rings on their fingers.

The man had bronze hair, which was stuck up in odd directions, messy. His skin was as white as the snow, and his golden eyes gleamed brightly, despite the fact that they were filled with sorrow. He wore a black trench coat, with a blue and green scarf tied around his neck. Black leather gloves covered his hands.

The woman had ebony hair, twisted up into a bun. Her face was clear, her eyes bright hazel. She wore a beige trench coat, with black hiking boots on her feet and black leather gloves covering her hands.

The two made their way across the snowy ground, the snow staining their shoes.

They stopped at the back of the cemetery, overlooking a new gravestone. It was marble, dark grey with large legible engraving.

Edward Masen wrapped his arm around Leah Masen's waist, pulling her into his side with a gentleness that most males did not possess. Leah looked up at him, tears brimming over the edges of her eyelids, and Edward let out a heavy sigh, stroking her cheek with his free hand.

"I miss them," Leah said finally, her voice quiet. Her eyes flickered back to the gravestone, rereading the elegant cursive writing.

_Isabella Marie Swan_

_13th September 1987 - 2nd January 2007_

_Jacob Black_

_25th August 1989 - 2nd January 2007_

Jacob Black and Isabella Marie Swan had been killed in a car crash in January, and had been killed instantly; painlessly, the doctor had assured the mourning families. Leah and Bella - while not particularly close before - had grown as people and were acquaintances, but definitely not friends.

"So do I," Edward replied finally. He pulled Leah into another of his cold, gentle hugs, and she squeezed him around the waist tightly, trying to prevent herself breaking down and sobbing.

Edward noticed. He clutched her just a little tighter and whispered soothingly in her ear.

"Let it out Lee. It's not good to keep things bottled up."

So she did. Ten minutes later, the sobs had stopped, and Edward's eyes were filled with tortured pain.

"I don't like seeing you like that," he told her gently.

Leah laughed, pressed her lips to his in a gentle kiss. Edward responded - but they didn't start a fully fledged make out session.

When Leah finally pulled away, she had a slight smile tugging at the edges of her lips. Edward privately thought that she looked incredibly sexy with that expression on her face, but decided it would be better not to voice his thoughts.

"Everybody has to feel pain, Edward. It's what makes human."

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><p><strong>A.N: <strong>

**Long and Boring Thank You Note **

**I'm going to try and do this shortly, so I don't bore anybody who reads :) **

**I would like to thank EVERYBODY who supported me with this, even if you were only a silent reader. Paticularly, I'd like to thank you all for the favourites, the alerts, people putting me on author alert, even. It's so nice to get so many notifications from FF :) **

**I'm having a bit of bother with the poll... You see, I think that I'm going to start the sequel with Easter at the Cullen's, so it might not be a great idea to have an outtake of easter as well... should have considered this more, lol**

**The Sequel should be up soon, and I'm thinking about calling it 'Heartwarm.' **

**If you have any suggestions for titles, let me know. I want something similar to It's What Makes Us Human, but I'm not sure what. **

**I apologise about the whole easter outtake thing.**

**PS: Sequel will be set this year, sorry if there's confusion about that... I can't write in the future, it makes me feel weird. So sorry :) **

**ALSO **

**- Will be putting up 'Our Wedding - EPOV' as soon as it's written (this will be an outtake, if ya like). I got super inspired for my own original works, so I was like 'RAWR' and attacked my keyboard viciously with my fingers. **

**- Big extra thank yous to PhasingForms, who PM'd me and then made me decide to put this up. Lool :) **

**- THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO STAYED WITH ME THROUGH THE RIDE, WHO ENCOURAGED, SUPPORTED IN WHATEVER WAY THAT THEY WANTED. **

**Sequel should be up soon; give me a few days to get my bearings and stuff :) **

**Your ever faithful author, **

**Soapy Water xx **


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